From the Pastor - First Sunday of Lent

March 7, 2025

Today’s readings exhort us Christian disciples to form ourselves — mind and heart — in imitation of Christ so we can better reflect His goodness in our daily lives.


The first reading from Sirach offers timeless counsel: “the fruit of a tree shows the care it has had: so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind. Praise no one before he speaks.” Jesus uses the very same analogy in today’s Gospel reading from Luke: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.”


Everything we have is a gift from God to be used for His honor and glory. This includes the gift of speech and, even more broadly, all forms of modern-day communication — email, text, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and the rest. What comes forth from our mouths, or keyboard, or phone, reflects what is in our minds and hearts. Our ability to communicate with each other is itself a gift which we must steward well.


In the same Gospel passage, Jesus reminds us, “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” The more time we spend with Jesus, our teacher, through regular prayer and a strong sacramental life, the more we will become like Him. Then all that we do and say (and tweet and post) will bring others to closer to Him. This is the life’s work of the Christian steward. It is privileged work indeed. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025


Pastoral Pondering

If I had to give this post a name, it would be Of Hosts and Hymnals. The reason for that name will become clear in a moment.


Most Catholics have some degree of awareness that the Most Holy Eucharist is central to our Catholic faith. The Church, in fact, describes the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith. The Eucharist is the saving flow from the temple described to Ezekiel from which all the treasures of the sacramental life flow and the ultimate goal of every faithful Christian life. Nonetheless, at times, we all need to be reminded of this awe-inspiring reality. As human beings, familiarity can breed contempt, and we can allow Holy Mass, and even reception of Holy Communion, to become habitual and common place. In so doing, we run the risk of stripping the Most Holy Sacrament of its sublime reality.


Recently, a parishioner discovered a presumably consecrated Host stuck between two pages of a hymnal. While this is certainly shocking and scandalous, I don’t share it with you to cause shock and scandal but to remind us all of the need to be vigilant. We first need to guard ourselves so that we never become indifferent to what occurs at Holy Mass, and second, always insure that we show the Eucharist the proper reverence and respect that is right and just. We do ask our ushers and security volunteers to be mindful of the importance of insuring that communicants receive and consume the Host, but they, along with both the ordinary and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, cannot observe everything. Hence, it is always a good idea for all of us to be mindful.

My hope and prayer is that such sacrilege only occurred due to ignorance rather than malice. On any given Sunday, those who have no experience of the Mass find themselves here for one reason or another. This is even more the case at funerals and weddings during the week. If we invite non-Catholic friends (or non-practicing Catholics) to Mass, and we certainly should, it is incumbent upon us to make sure that they understand the norms for the Reception of Holy Communion. These norms are usually published each week in the bulletin. Along the same lines, it is always appropriate, if you see someone who appears confused, uncertain, or is walking away with a host, to lovingly speak to them and help them in the moment.


A few reminders might also be helpful:

  1. Reception of Holy Communion is reserved to practicing Catholics who are properly disposed and in a state of grace. On a practical level this means he or she is not conscious of mortal sin and has been actively practicing the faith through participation at Mass and in the sacramental life of the Church.
  2. When approaching to receive Holy Communion, the communicant may receive on the tongue or on the hand. Those who choose to receive on the hand should make a sign of reverence (normally a bow) and consume the Host before walking away from the minister.
  3. Those choosing to receive on the hand must have both hands free. The Host is never taken from the minister. It is always received. Hence, for those who do not have the use of both hands, for whatever reason, should receive on the tongue. All ministers of Holy Communion are instructed to follow this norm. This protects the host from falling.
  4. Following the reception of Holy Communion, it is proper to return to the pew and offer a prayer of thanksgiving. Leaving Mass immediately after reception is not only disrespectful but can be sinful if it is done without necessity. After all Judas Iscariot was only apostle to leave the Last Supper early, and we know how that ended up.


Being conscious of these simple norms and aware of the great gift that we have in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, will not only help to protect and preserve the Blessed Sacrament but will also help each of us have a more fruitful reception of the Sacrament and benefit more fully from this sublime gift that the Lord provides for us.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Palm Sunday

By John Putnam • April 11, 2025
Two very different responses to our Lord’s passion are highlighted during the Gospel reading from Luke today: the response of Simon of Cyrene and the response of Jesus’ acquaintances. Of Simon we are told, “They took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus.” Whether Simon entered willingly and compassionately into this service or whether he took up the Cross of Christ with a grudge, we don’t know. What we do know is this: Simon did his part faithfully. He stayed near to Christ, carrying the Cross until our Lord reached Golgotha, the site of His crucifixion. We also know that Simon’s family was among the first of the early Christians. Staying near to Christ, embracing the Cross (quite literally), transformed his life and the life of his family. In contrast, near the end of this Gospel account, we are told of another reaction to Jesus’ passion and death, namely that “all His acquaintances stood at a distance.” They knew Jesus! They had heard him preaching and teaching, witnessed His signs and miracles, maybe even benefitted personally from them. Perhaps they did not participate in mocking Him or calling for His crucifixion. But they chose to stay a safe distance from Him when the going got tough. Unlike Simon, they refused to go too near to Christ. Where will you place yourself this week? Keeping your distance from all the pain and suffering Christ endured? Or close by, staying near to Him as Simon did? It is when we go near to Christ that we can be transformed by Him. It is by embracing the crosses in our lives, stewarding them well rather than trying to run from them, that we become His true disciples. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering As we begin Holy Week and approach the end of the Lenten season, we can hopefully look back and see a fruitful observance of this penitential season. I want to thank all of those who have responded this far and helped us to reach $9 million in pledges and donations for our Growing Home Campaign. We still have a bit of work to do, but your support has been tremendous. We would very much like to increase participation. Remember it is not about equal amounts but equal sacrifice. If you call St. Mark home; then, you are a part of this effort. We need you. This week we are happy to host the Chrism Mass for the Diocese of Charlotte. Bishop Martin will gather with his priests and will bless and consecrate the holy oils and the sacred Chrism that will be used in sacramental celebrations throughout the year. The celebration is open to all who would like to attend. The Sacred Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. Following Mass, we will process with the Blessed Sacrament to the Kerin Center for quiet adoration. This is also the evening when it is traditional to visit seven churches for adoration. Resources will be provided for those who wish to participate. Good Friday we will have stations as well as the Service of the Passion. Thursday, Friday and Saturday we will be offering confessions. However, PLEASE try to go earlier in the week. We do our best to accommodate everyone, but there is limited time and only a few of us. Have mercy.  Holy Saturday we will welcome our catechumens into the Church. The vigil begins at 8:30 pm with the blessing of the Easter Fire. Easter Sunday, of course, tends to bring a lot of folks to Mass that perhaps we don’t normally see. Please be patient and kind. We do have two Masses at Christ the King High School that might be less stressful options for families. There will be overflow seating in the Kerin Center, but the parking lot only has so much space, sooooo…..Have a blessed week!

From the Pastor - Fifth Sunday of Lent

By John Putnam • April 4, 2025
Once again, this week, we are reminded of what a loving and merciful God we serve. The theme of the readings for this fifth Sunday of Lent are summed up beautifully in today’s Gospel passage from Luke, which recounts the story of the woman caught in adultery. After all those who would have stoned this woman leave the scene, Christ says to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” When we turn to God for forgiveness, He is indeed gracious and merciful. So much so, that not only will He forgive our sins without condemnation, but He will also make us completely new creations in Christ. What is more amazing is that this all-perfect and holy God of ours draws so very near to us. Our sins do not drive Him from us, but rather to us so that He can set us free from them. Look carefully at Christ’s actions and posture in the Gospel reading as He deals with both the crowd of people, the Scribes and Pharisees, and the adulterous woman. “All the people started coming to Him and he sat down and taught them.” “He bent down and began to write with His finger.” He “straightened up” when He confronted the Scribes and Pharisees about their own sins. And he “straightened up” when He assured the woman that He did not condemn her for her past. Like a skilled teacher, or loving “big brother,” Christ bends down to where we are, He sits among us, He stands to confront us when needed and He stands to look us in the eye to remind us of our true dignity. We’re all unworthy of the great privilege of serving Him. But that, quite simply, is cause for greater joy in serving Him with all our hearts. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering This Sunday begins the traditional Lenten period known as Passiontide which draws our attention to a more direct consideration of the Lord’s Passion and death. The images and statues in the church building are covered as a sign of mourning. In the Liturgy, there is a shift of focus from penance and preparation for Easter to a meditation on the suffering and death of Jesus. The readings during these final weeks of Lent increasingly focus on the events surrounding Jesus’ passion and crucifixion. Passiontide culminates in Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, followed by His Passion and death on Good Friday. The core themes of Passiontide are the suffering and sacrifice of Christ, which is seen as the ultimate act of love and redemption for mankind. Catholics during this time are called to enter into Christ’s suffering in a spiritual sense through prayer, penance, and reflection.  In summary, Passiontide is a deeply contemplative period in the Church, marked by somber liturgies, a focus on the suffering and death of Christ, and practices such as veiling statues and images. It is a time for the faithful to prepare spiritually for the resurrection of Christ at Easter, emphasizing the central role that Christ’s Passion plays in Christian salvation. This is our Lenten home stretch, so play to win!
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