From the Parochial Vicar - August 12, 2018

August 13, 2018

From the Parochial Vicar - August 12, 2018

In today’s Gospel, we continue the Lord’s “Bread of Life Discourse” from the Gospel of St. John in which Jesus speaks of his flesh and blood as being true food and drink, pointing to the Holy Eucharist which he will institute at the Last Supper. He speaks of the Eucharist’s lifegiving power in view of the manna in the desert that did not give life. “Manna” literally means, “What is it?” in Hebrew. More than just being flaky bread, it was a miraculous bread from heaven that tasted like anything the eater wanted it to taste like. The Israelites became fed up with this bread. Rather than turning their hearts to the giver of the bread, they continued to see it as something that pleased their tastes and appetites. They began by appreciating the bread, but never turned their appreciating to the giver of the bread. The manna became despicable to them. In the Eucharist, however, the giver and the gift are the same: Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

Last week, I wrote about our youth ministry programs as being a way to build up our youth and young adults as the Church of now, rather than the Church of tomorrow. These programs of dedicated youth and adults create an environment where each participant can be lead more deeply into the mystery of the life of the Church. And at the center of the Church’s life is the Eucharist. In the last year here at Saint Mark, I have three distinct memories of the power of the Eucharist in the life of our youth.

Shortly after I arrived, our high school youth minister asked if the priests and deacons would assist at an “XLT Night.” Rather than gathering for activities and small group discussions, we headed into the church where a deacon and our Psalm 150 group led the high schoolers in Exposition, Adoration, and Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. We had nearly 100 young people adoring the Lord with their hearts, bodies, and voices. As they worshipped the Lord in prayer and song, we priests were available for Confession. And did they come! One after another, I noticed the particular tenderness and loving affection with which they confessed their sins and resolved to overcome their weaknesses. The only explanation is that the light of grace coming from worshipping the Lord in the Eucharist—of making the Eucharist the central focus of their lives that night—enlightened their hearts and minds allowing them to humbly and confidently confess their sins to the Lord.

Likewise, I was privileged to provide music one evening for adoration with our middle school Edge Youth Ministry program. The youth gathered for a simpler, but similar experience as I described above. Do we not sometimes expect our children will become bored by long periods of prayer and adoration? To the contrary, what I saw was true devotion in our youth. The reverently prayed, sang, and adored our Lord with great affection. Afterwards, one of our Confirmation students came up to me and, after expressing his surprise that I play guitar, simply said, “Father, I forgot how much peace I find when I am with Jesus. He reminded me that I need to pray more and try harder to listen to my mom and dad.” Jesus moves our lives when we humbly approach him with open hearts.

Lastly, and most recently, I had the opportunity of going as chaplain to our Fidelis Inspire camp this summer. Fidelis Inspire / Fraternus Ranch is a four-day camp that allows the sisters and brothers (6 th to 12 th grade) to take a break from their normal summer activities to grow in fraternity. The young women gather at one camp and the young men at another. During this time they participate in talks, discussions, team building activities, and outdoor fun (high ropes, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, etc.). The last night of Fidelis Inspire, we had Adoration and Benediction. During this time, I led the young ladies in a Eucharistic healing service, which provided them with the opportunity to acknowledge any wounds and hurts in their life and then turn it all over to Jesus, the Divine Physician. At the end, the girls had the option of remaining with our Lord in silence or going to the end-of-the day-campfire. Many of the young women freely stayed until it become so late that I had to take the Eucharist back to the chapel of repose. At the end of our time together, the girls had an opportunity to share their stories. Many of them spoke about how, out of all the activities and fun things we did, adoration was the most powerful. One even said, “That was the happiest moment of Inspire. The saddest was when Fr. Carter has to take Jesus away.” Would that we all shared the same sentiments when leaving the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist!

From books and classes, we can learn about the doctrines and dogmas of the Holy Eucharist. At our Sunday Masses, we can hear the Scripture proclaimed about what Jesus said concerning the Blessed Sacrament, like we hear today. We can then listen to the priest or deacon preach about the importance of the Eucharist. In youth ministry, however, we have the august task of taking our young people deeper into a living relationship with the source and summit of the life of the Church. And as they look upon Christ in the little Host, Christ looks back at them and smiles saying, “Here is one of my own.”

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • September 4, 2026
Today's readings remind us of the importance of our relationships. God created us to live in communion with Him and with one another. Our families, neighbors, friends, and parish community need us, and we need them as we grow together in holiness. In today's Second Reading, St. Paul gives us a simple but profound guide for living in relationship with others. Echoing the words of Christ, he writes, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love is the guiding principle that helps us become good stewards of every relationship God has entrusted to us. In today's Gospel, Jesus shows us what that love looks like, even when relationships become strained. He tells His disciples, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother." Rather than ignoring conflict or allowing resentment to grow, Jesus teaches us to approach one another with humility, charity, and a sincere desire for reconciliation. This is faithful stewardship of our relationships. He also reminds us of the strength found in Christian community: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." God never intended us to journey to heaven alone. May we care for the relationships He has entrusted to us and help one another grow as faithful disciples. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026 Pastoral Pondering Next Saturday the Diocese of Charlotte celebrates the annual Eucharistic Congress at the Convention Center in Charlotte. Events begin on Friday evening, with the majority of activities happening on Saturday and culminating with the Congress Mass in the afternoon. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to come together as a Diocesan family and celebrate the source and summit of our faith. Our own Father Kevin Martinez will be the homilist for the Holy Hour on Saturday morning at the conclusion of the Eucharistic procession. Public processions of the Eucharist and the saints (especially their relics and images) are ancient and enduring expressions of Catholic faith. They combine liturgical prayer, public witness, communal pilgrimage and public piety. They visibly proclaim core doctrines—the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the communion of saints—while symbolizing the Church as a pilgrim people journeying toward the heavenly Jerusalem. These types of processions are found in the Old Testament when the Ark of the Covenant was processed on different occasions, e.g. the conquest of Jericho or the joyful entrance of the ark into Jerusalem. In the early Church processions developed by the 4 th century in both the East and the West. They marked festivals, thanksgivings, penance, the translation (solemn transfer) of relics, the consecration of churches, funerals and times of calamity. Eucharistic processions arose later, in the high Middle Ages, amid intensified theological reflection on the Real Presence (Fourth Lateran Council 1215; development of the language of transubstantiation) and growing devotion to the Eucharist outside Mass. The elevation of the Host during Mass became common around 1200. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi originated in the visions of St. Juliana of Liège (early 13th century), who saw the Church’s liturgical year as a full moon with a dark spot—the lack of a dedicated feast for the Eucharist. The feast was first celebrated in Liège in 1246. Pope Urban IV (formerly archdeacon of Liège) extended it to the universal Church in the bull Transiturus de hoc mundo (1264), commissioning St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the liturgical texts (including Pange lingua, Lauda Sion, and Adoro te devote). A Eucharistic miracle at Bolsena (bleeding Host) around the same time, brought to Urban at Orvieto, reinforced the impetus. Formal public processions with the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance appeared soon after—early records from places such as Benediktbeuern (1273) and Cologne (1270s)—and spread rapidly across Europe by the 14th century. Pope Clement V and the Council of Vienne (1311) helped regulate the feast and its observance; later papal encouragement and indulgences supported the processions. They typically followed Mass, moved through streets or fields (sometimes stopping at outdoor altars for Gospel readings and petitions), and concluded with Benediction. The Council of Trent strongly endorsed them as a public profession of faith in the Real Presence, especially against Protestant denials. In the Counter-Reformation and Baroque periods they grew elaborate, involving civic authorities, guilds, military escorts, music, and decorations (flower carpets, banners). They continued as major public events in Catholic countries and were revived or defended in later centuries (e.g., against 19th-century secularizing pressures or under Communist regimes). Popes such as St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI emphasized their value; John Paul II restored the Roman Corpus Christi procession and wrote of the need to proclaim the incarnate God “especially in our streets and homes.” The Church continues to encourage them. Liturgical books describe the annual Corpus Christi procession as particularly desirable for the pastoral life of a parish or city when circumstances permit, as a public witness of faith and devotion. Processions of saints remain part of popular piety and local traditions (feast-day celebrations, Rogation observances where retained, translations of relics, etc.).  In short, these processions are not mere pageantry. They are embodied proclamations that the risen Christ walks with His people in the Eucharist and that the saints, as members of the one Body, continue to intercede for and accompany the Church on earth.

From the Pastor - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • August 28, 2026
Living the stewardship way of life is not easy. Dying to self and living for Christ and others requires sacrifice. It is the work of a lifetime. Yet it is also the only work that truly matters and the only life that ultimately satisfies. In today's Gospel from Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." At first, those words may sound difficult to accept. Why would anyone willingly embrace such a path? Jesus immediately gives us the answer: "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Everything comes down to love. Jesus loved us completely, giving Himself for us on the Cross. He continues to give Himself to us through His Word and, most especially, in the Eucharist. Each day we are faced with a choice: to live for ourselves or to live for God and for others. The second path is more demanding, but it leads to lasting joy and the promise of eternal life. Christ assures us that He "will come with his angels in his Father's glory and then he will repay all according to his conduct." May we choose each day to lose our lives for Christ's sake, offering them back to Him in grateful response to His immeasurable love. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026 Pastoral Pondering Two Italian dioceses (Rome and Ventimiglia-Sanremo) recently blocked planned Catholic funeral Masses for two prominent Freemasons after their Masonic affiliations became publicly known just before the ceremonies. This happened on August 7–8, 2026, and applies longstanding Church discipline rather than a new nationwide policy from the Italian bishops’ conference. Since some folks asked about this, I thought it would be a good article. The cases - Rome: Bruno Battisti D’Amario (88), a classical guitarist and professor closely linked to Ennio Morricone’s film work, died on August 5. His funeral Mass was scheduled for August 7 th at Santa Maria in Montesanto (the “Church of the Artists” in Piazza del Popolo). The Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) publicly eulogized him as a “master brother,” founder of the Roman Giuseppe Leti lodge, composer of the GOI’s official anthem, and holder of senior positions (including twice president of the Lazio District College of Worshipful Masters). Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, consulted the diocesan legal office and denied authorization for the funeral Mass, allowing only a brief prayer as a gesture of Christian charity. - Ventimiglia-Sanremo (Liguria): Mario Tarducci (73), a former Venerable Master of the local Mimosa lodge (no. 985, Orient of Bordighera), was scheduled for a funeral the next day at the parish church of San Marco in Camporosso. Bishop Antonio Suetta learned of the affiliation only after arrangements were made—via local news and public Masonic death notices. After consulting the family and pastor, and noting the simultaneous Rome case, he suspended the ecclesiastical funeral under the same principles, limiting it to simple prayers outside. Canonical and doctrinal basis Both decisions explicitly invoked Canon 1184 of the Code of Canon Law. It denies ecclesiastical funerals to those who, without signs of repentance before death, are “notoriously apostate, heretical or schismatic” or “other manifest sinners” whose funerals would cause public scandal among the faithful. This aligns with the Church’s consistent teaching that Freemasonry is incompatible with Catholicism. The 1983 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declaration (under then-Cardinal Ratzinger) reaffirmed that Catholics who join Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion; the negative judgment on Masonic principles remains unchanged. Public, high-level membership without known repentance creates the “public scandal” element that triggers the canonical denial. These were not blanket bans on all Freemasons but responses to notorious cases where the affiliation was openly proclaimed by the lodges themselves, making a Catholic funeral appear to endorse or ignore the incompatibility. Similar past applications have occurred (e.g., high-profile cases involving public scandal). Pastoral care for the grieving family is still encouraged—Mass intentions or a memorial Mass sine corpore (without the body present) can be offered.  In short, two bishops applied existing law firmly once the memberships became public and notorious. The episodes have drawn attention precisely because they reinforce the long-standing discipline amid ongoing tensions between the Church and Freemasonry in Italy. It also reminds all of us that one cannot present themselves as Catholic and live in a manner that contradicts longstanding teaching of the Church.