From the Pastor - Pentecost

May 21, 2021

 Today is Pentecost Sunday, the 50th day after Easter (counting both Easter Sunday and today). Pentecost is often called “the birthday of the Church.” As we hear in Holy Scripture, today is the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ followers, and with that Jesus’ mission on earth was completed.


Jesus calls His followers and literally all of us to be missionaries. The Latin root word for “missionary” is derived from the original Greek word apostolos, which meant “one sent forth.” Obviously, we get the word “apostle” from that as well. It is further defined as one who attempts to persuade or convert. It involves the “apostle” or “disciple” working outside of the community.


When Jesus spoke these words, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” That includes each and every one of us. We, too, are sent. Many times, we have reiterated that being sent means that we live out our Catholic faith in everything we do. That is the best way to evangelize, to let those around us know what it means to be a Christian and a follower of Christ and His disciple. 


The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops made the following statement about what it means to evangelize: “Here, there are two elements of evangelization at work: 1. Witness, which is the simple living out of the faith; 2. Sharing, which is spreading the Good News of Jesus.” Do we follow the admonitions given us by the Lord? Are we examples of what it means to be a Catholic and Christian? Do we truly share the Good News? © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2018


Pastoral Pondering –Last week, I indicated that I would begin discussing aspects of what it means to be a practicing Catholic. However, due to the rapid change in CDC guidelines, allow me to address that today. Although there was an expectation of the relaxation of restrictions after June 1st, we were all caught by surprise when the CDC modified its guidance leading the state and the Diocese to do the same. With that being said, we know that even though the obligation to attend Mass returns this weekend, there are still those who continue to be more fragile in terms of their health. As we move forward, we will continue to look for ways to accommodate those concerns without limiting the capacity to get back to some normalcy.

 

We celebrate today the coming of the Holy Spirit; an event that vivified the fledgling Church and led the apostles and disciples to become a machine of evangelization. I believe we need some of that Holy Spirit power here in the present. We certainly believe and trust that the Holy Spirit guides the Church, and it’s important that we be attentive to the Spirit’s prompting. Nevertheless, we have to remember that the Lord expects us to step up and be evangelizers as well; especially to those who continue to be hesitant about coming back to Mass. Every one of us should try to invite someone else to come to Mass with us, especially if you know of a parishioner who could use the invitation.

 

We’ve seen an abiding spirit of fear over the course of this past year. The various “voices” that were at center stage did a good job taking advantage of this. At the same time, because of a large number of transplants from up north, we have many families that have lost someone to COVID since it began. Our world has been turned upside down. And we all need encouragement and a spirit of welcome to overcome the darkness.

 

In all things, we trust the Lord, and we know that no matter what, He is holding us and sustaining us with His grace. We’ve been extremely blessed over the course of this past year in that we kept moving and doing all that we could to be Christ for others. Now, we need to redouble our efforts and look forward with faith, hope and trust.

 

I will return to our ongoing topic in next week’s column. Have a Blessed week.

 

 

 

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • November 13, 2026
Today's readings remind us that one day each of us will give an account for the gifts God has entrusted to us, including the gift of time itself. In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the familiar parable of the talents. Before leaving on a journey, a wealthy man entrusts portions of his wealth to three servants according to their abilities. Two of the servants immediately put those gifts to work and are rewarded for their faithfulness. The third, acting out of fear, buries what was entrusted to him and returns only what he had received. The tragedy is not that the servant lacked ability. It is that he failed to recognize the privilege he had been given. His master invited him to share in his work, but fear kept him from responding. God extends that same invitation to us. He entrusts each of us with unique gifts and invites us to use them for His glory and for the good of others. May we live each day so that, when our work is finished, we too may hear those joyful words: "Well done, my good and faithful servant... Come, share your master's joy." © Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering As we approach the end of the liturgical year and prepare for the beginning of Advent, we are provided with a good opportunity to look back over our year of faith and ask ourselves, "How am I doing?" For most of us, we can find a landscape of positives and negatives, and that is OK. You might say that there is no surprise there because that is simply part of life. Our task, of course, is to always look for ways to grow in holiness and grow our relationship with the Lord. This point is always brought home to me when I attend a funeral, especially the funeral of a priest, which I did earlier today. The priest in question, Father Edward Sheridan, was my pastor at St. Aloysius in Hickory when I was in high school. He was also one of the priests who helped build up the newly formed Diocese of Charlotte in the 1970s. Fr. Ed loved people and always tried to be a source of encouragement to me and others. As I reminisced at this morning's funeral, the thought came that death is the great equalizer. Regardless of who we are, what we have, or where we have come from, we are all going to die. This life is transitory, so we need to be ready. Certainly, the Scriptures that we will hear over the coming weeks will try to impress that reality upon us. As we encounter God's Word and that particular message, let each of us ask for the wisdom to see what we need to see to make next year more fruitful and Spirit-filled, as well as asking the Lord to give us the courage to strive to do even better in the coming year.

From the Pastor - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • November 6, 2026
Wisdom is at the heart of today's readings. It is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and an essential gift for living the stewardship way of life. As Christian stewards, we should continually ask the Holy Spirit to deepen this gift within us. In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the 10 virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five are wise, and five are foolish. The wise virgins prepare ahead of time, bringing enough oil to keep their lamps burning. The foolish ones fail to prepare and are caught off guard when the bridegroom arrives. Jesus concludes with this reminder: "Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour." Stewardship helps us live with that same spirit of readiness. When we seek the Lord each day through prayer, the sacraments, and the faithful use of the gifts He has entrusted to us, we keep our hearts prepared to meet Him whenever He calls. That is the wisdom Christ desires for each of us. © Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering - Rooting Out Anger Few things disturb the peace of a home, a parish, or a soul as quickly as anger. A sharp word at the dinner table, a resentful silence after Mass, a flash of irritation in traffic-each seems small in the moment, yet the Fathers of the Church warn us that anger is a deadly poison. St. John Cassian, the great monastic teacher whose writings shaped Western spirituality, dedicated an entire book of his Institutes to this vice. His counsel is bracing and practical for us today. Cassian insists that anger must be "utterly rooted out from the inmost corners of our soul." As long as it remains, it blinds the eye of the heart. We lose right judgment, the capacity for true counsel, and even the ability to pray. "The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). Whether the provocation seems just or unjust makes little difference: anger covers the eyes of the soul like a plate of gold or lead- the value of the metal does not restore sight. He rejects the common excuse that we may be angry with those who do wrong, or that Scripture's language of God's "anger" justifies our own passion. God is free from all disturbance; the biblical language of divine anger is metaphorical, pointing to His just judgment, not to a human emotion we may imitate. To use it as permission for our own resentment is, Cassian says, to draw from the Scriptures an occasion of sin rather than a remedy of holiness. There is, however, one legitimate use of the energy of anger: we may and should be indignant against the evil thoughts and disordered desires that rise within our own hearts. When we are ashamed of what we would never say or do before others, yet find it stirring inside, we are to rage against that disorder, trembling before the all-seeing eye of God. In this sense the psalmist's "Be angry and sin not" (Psalm 4:4) and St. Paul's citation of it (Ephesians 4:26) are understood: be angry with your own faults, lest the Sun of Righteousness set upon a darkened mind and the devil be given place. Cassian's remedies are simple and severe. First, make a firm resolution never to be angry at all-neither for good reasons nor bad. The moment the passion enters, discernment is lost and the soul can no longer be a temple of the Holy Spirit. Second, never attempt to pray while angry; such prayer is obstinate rebellion. Third, keep daily before your eyes the uncertainty of life and the certainty of judgment. All our other efforts- Mass, fasting, works of charity- profit nothing if anger and hatred alone bring us to eternal punishment. Practically, this means catching the first interior movement of irritation and turning it at once into sorrow for our own impatience. It means refusing to nurse the grievance past sunset, seeking reconciliation before the next Holy Communion, and enlarging the heart with patience so that the "waves of anger" are received and dissipated rather than confined and intensified. Peace, Cassian reminds us, does not depend on the conduct of others; it lies in our own control. In the confessional and in the daily struggle of parish life, I see how often this vice wounds families and friendships. Let us ask the Lord, who is meek and humble of heart, to give us the grace to root it out. May the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and our parish. In other news, due to an unexpected leave, I have been appointed as Vicar General and Chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte by Bishop Martin. While this appointment is expected to be temporary, during the interim, it will make my ability to take appointments rather limited. Please be patient with the office staff as they try to accommodate those needs along with my additional responsibilities.