From the Pastor - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 29, 2023

As Christian stewards we are called to a high and holy standard — living as Christ’s disciples every day and with every person the Lord places in our path. But we can move towards this goal in “baby steps.”


Jesus demonstrates this comforting truth through the parable He tells in today’s Gospel from Matthew. It is the story of two sons whose father instructs them to go out and work in his vineyard that day. While the second son agrees to his father’s request, he does not follow through — he fails to obey the father’s will. The first son tells his father, “no.” At least he is honest! And in the end, he reconsiders and obeys his father.


The first son’s honest, less-than-perfect response is consoling to us Christian stewards. Haven’t we all felt this way at times when God’s will for us seems to be just too hard? 


We can be honest with God at these times. He knows our thoughts already, after all. But when we stayed engaged in a real relationship with Him, even if it’s just to say, “I don’t think I can, Lord,” He will supply us with just the grace we need to change our minds and do what He is asking us to do.


We can even take a step backward from time to time because our Father is merciful and kind. What matters is that we keep baby stepping along, assured of the grace we need to imitate the actions and attitudes of Christ more closely. This is the beauty of the stewardship way of life. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2023.


Pastoral Pondering

I want to thank the deacons for providing opportunities for prayer and worship this week as we priests are on our annual retreat with the Bishop. Keep them in your prayers as well as they prepare for their annual retreat later this month.


A couple of weeks back I wrote about the various prophecies concerning the Warning and the Three Days of Darkness. A few folks have asked me to follow up with some further information and clarification. The first thing that needs to be said is that these events arise from private revelation. Public revelation ended with the death of the last apostle, St. John. Private revelations are defined by the Catechism of the Catholic Church as follows: Revelations made in the course of history which do not add to or form part of the deposit of faith, but rather may help people live out their faith more fully. Some of these private revelations have been recognized by the authority of the Church, which cannot accept so-called “revelations of faith” that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of Christ confided to his Church.


Certainly, some of these, especially those connected with Marian apparitions such as Lourdes and Fatima, have been declared “worthy of belief” by Church authority, but they are not binding on the faithful in terms of adherence or belief.


So, what about our current topic? Due to social media, just about anything can be presented as the Gospel truth. So, we must always be skeptical and prudent in evaluating prophecies and extraordinary teaching. We are not called to be “chasers” of supernatural miracles and prophetic utterances. We experience a miracle every time we go to Mass. Nonetheless, some of these private revelations can be beneficial and helpful to our spiritual growth and development. We just have to be discerning in making sure that any of these that we encounter “check out” in terms of their harmony with the Teachings of the Church.


With all that being said, there is no official Church teaching regarding the veracity of these claims. What we can say unequivocally is that we know, according to Scripture, that the Lord will indeed come again to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire. This phrasing is the traditional conclusion of blessings but is rooted in the Creed and various passages from the Bible (see Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1; and 1 Pet. 4:5). We also know that Jesus reminds us that we are to always be ready because He will come like a thief in the night (Mt. 24:43; see also 1 Thes. 5).


Part of these particular prophecies note that the only light that will be available is from the light of blessed candles, and I’ve been asked whether or not folks should obtain these. Regardless of the veracity of the prophecies of the warning that the days of darkness, having blessed sacramentals in the house is never a bad thing. Burning a blessed candle has an impact on demons, so it’s never a bad idea to have a few on hand. General preparedness from the unexpected is a good idea as well. As COVID showed us, one never knows when there will be a shortage of water, food staples, or even toilet paper!


Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 895). United States Catholic Conference.

 

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Third Sunday of Advent

By John Putnam • December 12, 2025
Good news, Christian stewards — we are gaining ground on our Advent mountain climb and it is time to take a moment to rejoice in the Good News that our Savior will come again in triumph one day. Today’s readings on this Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday are filled with reminders of God’s final victory over suffering and injustice, and encouragement to remain steadfast in our mission to live as faith-filled disciples. Such a day almost seems too good to be true, especially when we look around at the dire circumstances we face in our world at present. But by faith, we know this day is coming. Lest we grow weary as we await the glorious day of Christ’s return, St. James, in our second reading, offers wise counsel. “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” “Make your hearts firm… Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged.” This is excellent advice for us Christian stewards as we face the challenges of everyday life in our broken world, especially in the hectic days that precede Christmas when stress can make us and those around us less than our best selves. St. James reminds us that we can choose our response to both the great strains and the minor annoyances of life. In other words, we can be good stewards of our attitude, “making our hearts firm” by practicing patience with others and refusing to give in to the temptation to complain. We can choose to see and rejoice in God’s presence with us, no matter the circumstances surrounding us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Prior to the Hamas attack in Israel of October 7, 2023, I was planning to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with our seminarians. The events of that day put that pilgrimage on hold even though we had already raised funds for the pilgrimage. Now that relative peace has been restored, we will be embarking on the pilgrimage on December 26 th . I wanted to thank all of you who supported the effort and wanted to let you know that we are finally preparing to go. Pilgrimages to the Holy Land are very special opportunities for everyone, but such a pilgrimage is especially significant for a man preparing for priesthood because it provides a completely different perspective on the Scriptures and is able to inform his preaching and teaching. Christopher Cross is organizing this for us, and I would recommend one of his trips to anyone who would like to go. Chris brings a unique blend of humor and deep faith that makes the experience come alive in a wonderful way. I have been on a number of pilgrimages, and those with Chris have been the most impactful by far.  Please keep all of us in your prayers as we prepare for the pilgrimage and certainly know that you all will be in ours as we spend the Christmas Octave in the Holy Land.

From the Pastor - Second Sunday of Advent

By John Putnam • December 5, 2025
On this Second Sunday of Advent, our second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans encourages us to focus our Advent preparations in this way: “Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.” And how does Christ welcome us? With unconditional love. This is the essence of Christian hospitality, a vital aspect of stewardship living. Fully embraced, it has the power to transform our lives and the lives of those who experience it through us. The practice of Christian hospitality is also a way for us stewards to answer the call of John the Baptist, in our Gospel passage from Matthew. His words apply just as much to us today as they did to the people awaiting the Savior’s arrival. John says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” And he recalls the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” There is a definite connection between repentance and effective hospitality. So how can we make repentance a regular part of our everyday lives? We can make an “examination of conscience” a daily part of our prayers, thanking God for the times we said “yes” to Him, and asking forgiveness for the times we chose our own will. We can (and should!) go to Confession this Advent. We can reach out to a family member or friend where there is distance or discord and make peace. As we “straighten the paths” of our own hearts and minds, we become more hospitable people, better stewards of God’s grace and mercy, and far more open and ready to invite others into our lives, homes, and parish. This is preparation fitting for our merciful Savior. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome, undertook his inaugural apostolic journey abroad from November 27 to December 2, 2025. This six-day itinerary encompassed Turkey (November 27–30) and Lebanon (November 30–December 2), marking a deliberate choice of destinations in the Middle East amid ongoing regional conflicts and global ecclesiastical anniversaries. As the successor to Pope Francis, who had planned a similar trip before his passing in April 2025, Leo XIV’s voyage fulfills a commitment to ecumenical and inter-religious engagement while advancing themes central to his nascent papacy: peace, unity, and dialogue. Historical and Ecumenical Significance in Turkey The Turkish leg of the journey centered on İznik (ancient Nicaea), where Pope Leo XIV participated in commemorations of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD). This ecumenical council, convened by Emperor Constantine I, produced the Nicene Creed—a foundational statement of Christian faith affirming the divinity of Christ and shared by Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions. The event underscored the common heritage of Christianity, with Leo XIV joining Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople for a joint declaration and doxology at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Istanbul. This collaboration highlights efforts to bridge the schism between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, echoing historical papal visits to Turkey (e.g., by Popes Paul VI in 1967 and Benedict XVI in 2006). In a broader context, the visit to predominantly Muslim Turkey (where Christians constitute less than 0.5% of the population) served as a gesture of interfaith outreach. Key moments included a prayer at Istanbul’s Blue Mosque—though Leo XIV refrained from visibly praying there, distinguishing his approach from predecessors—and a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Discussions addressed tensions over sites like the Hagia Sophia, reconverted to a mosque in 2020, and emphasized mutual respect amid Turkey’s role as a crossroads of early Christianity and St. Paul’s homeland. The pilgrimage thus reinforced the papacy’s commitment to fostering “what unites us” over divisions, as articulated by Vatican spokespersons. Humanitarian and Diplomatic Significance in Lebanon Transitioning to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV’s itinerary addressed the nation’s profound challenges: economic collapse since 2019, the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion (which killed over 200 and displaced thousands), and renewed violence from Israeli airstrikes in 2024 targeting Hezbollah positions, despite a fragile Gaza ceasefire. Lebanon’s Christian community, the largest in the Arab world (comprising 30–35% of the population), faces emigration and instability, making the visit a vital affirmation of solidarity. Notable engagements included meetings with President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam; an inter-religious prayer at Beirut’s port memorializing explosion victims; and visits to the tomb of St. Charbel and the statue of Our Lady of Lebanon. An open-air Mass at Beirut’s waterfront, anticipated to draw 120,000 attendees, symbolized communal resilience. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem extended a formal welcome, delivering a letter via group members and framing the visit as an opportunity for dialogue on regional peace. This outreach to Muslim-majority Lebanon (65–70% Muslim) amplified Leo XIV’s message of coexistence, drawing parallels to Pope John Paul II’s 1997 visit and Benedict XVI’s in 2012 amid the Syrian civil war. Broader Geopolitical and Papal Implications Occurring against the backdrop of a “piecemeal” third world war—encompassing Ukraine, Gaza, and Middle Eastern flashpoints—Leo XIV’s journey positioned the Holy See as a moral voice for de-escalation. In addresses, he invoked his predecessor Pope Francis’s warnings on humanity’s endangered future, urging world leaders to prioritize peace negotiations. The trip’s timing, covered by over 80 journalists from 15 countries (including major U.S. networks), amplified its global resonance, particularly as the first foreign voyage of an American pope. Symbolically, selecting Muslim-majority nations for his debut underscores a pontificate rooted in Augustinian spirituality (Leo XIV being the first from the Order of Saint Augustine) and social teaching, echoing Pope Leo XIII’s emphasis on justice in industrialized eras. It signals continuity with Francis’s bridge-building while introducing Leo XIV’s vision: unity across faiths, support for persecuted minorities, and advocacy for the vulnerable. By December 2, 2025, the visit had already prompted reflections on its potential to influence fragile truces and inter-communal harmony in the region.  This apostolic journey, therefore, transcends ceremonial bounds, serving as a strategic affirmation of the Catholic Church’s role in promoting global stability and religious solidarity.