From the Pastor - Baptism of the Lord

January 8, 2021

Our Christmas season concludes with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus was not baptized because he needed to repent — rather, He was revealing who He is and what He came to do.


It is from His mission that we can receive the sacrament of baptism — when we become adopted sons and daughters of God. From that moment, we belong to Christ — we become His stewards. Our lives should be a reflection of this relationship. The way we live should reveal Whose we are.


In our First Reading, the prophet Isaiah shares a message of hope, “Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy?” We should ask ourselves, "Who is the king of our hearts?" As Christian stewards, it should be God. We often fill our lives with things that satisfy us only for a moment. If we truly do belong to Christ, then we will make Him our top priority. What we fill our lives with should reveal that He is King.


In our Gospel, Mark reveals the intimate relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and God the Father proclaimed, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” We, too, have access to an intimate relationship with God. But like all good relationships, it flourishes with effort. How we spend our time and share our gifts says a great deal about Whose we are. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2020.


Pastoral Pondering

Covid Vaccines — I have continued to receive questions about the morality of receiving the COVID vaccine due to it’s connection with human fetal cells obtained following abortion. Both the USCCB and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have issued guidance in this regard. Both indicate that while no one is obliged to receive the vaccine (or coerced to do so), due to severity of the pandemic and the remoteness of the moral cooperation, it is morally licit to receive the COVID vaccine. Each individual must still evaluate his or her own personal objections and concerns and decide what to do accordingly.


Adoration — I have said before that I believe our parish commitment to perpetual Eucharistic Adoration has been the fundamental “power” that allows us to accomplish all that we have been able to in recent years, but certainly, during a very difficult 2020. Father Richard Heilman, the author of the Grace Force Podcast and other efforts says the following: “I am convinced that a movement of restoring Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is the spiritual therapeutic for cleansing our country of demonic influence and opening the floodgates of grace that will heal our land… bringing our country back to the spiritual health of being One Nation Under God once again.”


No reasonable person of faith can deny that over the past several years, we have seen an increase of activity that can only be described as evil and even diabolical. It especially manifested itself during 2020 in a negation of the importance of the spiritual and eternal for a focus on the physical and temporal. This of course is completely contrary to Christian faith and history. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to have as our first and most important reason for living in the vale of tears to love and serve the Lord here so that we can be with Him forever in heaven.


With this in mind, I want to encourage you all to make Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament an intentional decision for all of our families. While we have a core of very dedicated adorers who cover the hours of Adoration during the week, far too many are left with only a single adorer signed up and committed. We are to be the leaven in society, and we cannot fulfill this mission if we do not first recommit ourselves to fitting worship and prayer of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This certainly takes place when we assist at Holy Mass, but Adoration is the sacramental that leads us to ponder what we are offered at the Holy Sacrifice. I hear countless people lament and complain about the state of the world. Yet, rather than first having recourse to the source of True Power, we often turn to worldly solutions such as political or judicial structures and institutions in hopes that they can solve our problems. This is simply fanciful thinking. Because of our fallen human nature, the merely human and temporal will never cure what ails our nation and our world. Our first recourse must be to the Almighty.


I encourage and even beseech you then to be intentional Adorers of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Commit yourself and your families to set times of adoration so that the outflowing of grace that comes from this pious and devout practice might pour forth not only here in the parish but far beyond. In Luke 6:38, the Lord says the following: “Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over shall be poured into your lap.” God wants to pour out His graces upon us if we will just cooperate with Him and accept all that He desires for us. Please sign up for Adoration. https://www.stmarknc.org/adoration.


From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Solemnity of Christ the King

By John Putnam • November 21, 2025
On this Feast of Christ the King, our readings show us that we serve the greatest of Kings, who is at the same time the humblest of Kings. Christ is the perfect model of servant leadership. And what an indescribable privilege that He has called us to be servant leaders — stewards in the work of advancing His Kingdom. In our second reading, from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Paul describes the great power and dignity that characterize Christ the King. “All things were created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together.” It makes you want to stand up and cheer. That’s our King! Yet, what a contrasting description of the same King we find in our Gospel passage, from Luke. Now we see our King nailed to the Cross. Everyone from rulers to soldiers, to the criminals on either side of Christ is mocking, sneering, and reviling him. They tauntingly urge him to prove His kingship by coming down from the Cross to end his suffering with a great show of power. “if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” But He does not. Amazingly, it is in this moment of seeming-weakness and humiliation, when all appears hopeless and lost, that the full breadth of his greatness as king is displayed. Though all things were created through and for Him — Christ chooses to live entirely for others, for us! What does this mean for us as his followers and stewards of His kingdom? It is precisely that our lives are not about us. They are about Christ and others. And we will advance his kingdom to the extent that we embrace this mindset: my life is not about me; it is about serving the King of kings. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025

From the Pastor - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • November 14, 2025
As we approach the end of the liturgical year, our readings offer a sober reminder that this life is not our aim and that God’s justice will triumph in the end. Now is the time to get our priorities in order, putting God above all else as his faithful stewards. Our Lord brings home the urgency of right priorities in our Gospel passage from Luke, reminding the people around him who were looking at the temple nearby, “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Our Lord reminds us that all in this world is passing. We must keep our focus on eternity. Yet before the eternal bliss of heaven, we should expect to be tried and tested. “Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.” Sounds scary. But if you are living a stewardship way of life, there is nothing to fear. You have a plan in place. All you need to do is stick with it. Put our Lord first in your time, with your talents, and through your use of treasure. This way of life is not easy. But Jesus promises it will lead to eternal salvation and the joy of union with Him. “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.” Onward, Christian stewards, the struggle is worth the joy that awaits! Pastoral Pondering On November 4th the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released Mater Populi Fidelis, a 20-page doctrinal note which was approved by the Holy Father. The Document addresses longstanding requests for clarification on Marian titles related to Mary’s cooperation in salvation. It emphasizes Mary’s unique role as Mother of believers while safeguarding Christ’s sole mediatorship, aiming to foster authentic devotion, Catholic fidelity, and ecumenical dialogue. The Note responds to decades of proposals, including petitions for new Marian dogmas, often amplified via social media and private revelations. It draws on Scripture, Tradition (e.g., St. Augustine), and prior papal reflections, including Joseph Ratzinger's 1996 and 2002 critiques of certain titles as unclear or prone to misunderstanding. The document appreciates popular piety but cautions against expressions that could confuse the faithful or obscure Christ's centrality. It promotes "participated mediation"—Mary's supportive role in union with Christ—without equating her to the Redeemer. The document goes on to underscore “approved titles/expressions” and “discouraged titles/expressions.” Those that are encouraged include: Mother of God (Theotokos), Mother of Believers, Spiritual Mother, Mother of the Faithful People of God, and Mediatrix (in a general sense of intercession). It notes that these underscore Mary's maternal bond with Christ and the Church, directing devotion to the Son. They are biblically rooted (e.g., John 19:26-27) and foster hope, tenderness, and unity. Those titles discouraged are Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces. It notes that these risk eclipsing Christ's unique mediation (1 Tim 2:5) and redemption; not explicitly in Scripture or early Tradition; potential for confusion or imbalance in faith, especially ecumenically. I know in my own discussions over the years; it is very easy (especially for my non-Catholic relatives) to get confused over certain Marian titles. They can certainly be explained, but as the DDF points out, those titles that require greater explanation for common understanding should be discouraged. To be sure, you can find both titles used in various Catholic resources, and the document certainly does not forbid their use. Nonetheless, it approaches the topic in a balanced and pastorally sensitive way that recognizes the importance of Marian devotion and piety while, at the same time, reminding us all of the importance supporting and encouraging doctrinal harmony.