From the Pastor – 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 18, 2018

From the Pastor – 11 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We have stated previously that St. Paul had a way with words. He was able to take a very complex concept and summarize it in a few words and phrases. In today’s Second Reading from Second Corinthians, Paul says simply, “…we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5: 7) That statement by Paul has inspired hymns and treatises.

Yet, it is in reality what we are all about as Catholics and Christians. There is no question that it is one of the most difficult notions for us as Catholics and Christians to grasp and accept. The word translated as “walk” can also be translated as “live.” Thus, we could say “We live by faith, and not by sight.”

This was a popular and consistent theme for St. Paul, his point being that we need to build our lives around the eternal prospects, not those of this world. In this society “things” seem so important to us. However, the truth is that they have no eternal significance. That is an ongoing message in the concept of stewardship — basically who we are and how we live is more important than what we own and what we may appear to be. That can be tough for us.

The late Billy Graham, who died earlier this year, was fond of saying, “My home is in Heaven. I am just traveling through this world.” St. Paul would agree with that attitude.

Pastoral Pondering

With our new Director of Sacred Music, Michael Garnett, beginning his tenure at St. Mark, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss a bit of the Church’s teaching on Sacred Music; that is, music for Sacred Worship. Most people, of course, if they were asked to define Sacred Music, would simply say “the hymns we sing at Mass.” And in many ways, that is true, since it arises from the experience of most folks attending Mass in our country, at least over the last 40 years or so.

The Second Vatican Council, however, had a much richer view of liturgical music, and the Council’s teaching was based on a beautiful document that was issued by Pope Pius XII on Christmas Day of 1955. The title of the document is Musicae sacrae disciplina (On the Discipline of Sacred Music). The document states: “Thus at the instance and under the sponsorship of the Church, sacred music, through the course of centuries has traversed a long road by which, though sometimes slowly and laboriously, it has finally reached the heights: from the simple and natural tones of Gregoria’s modes, which are, moreover, quite perfect in their kind, to great and even magnificent works of art which not only human voices, but also the organ and other musical instruments embellish, adorn and amplify almost endlessly. Just as this progress in the art of music shows clearly how dear to the heart of the Church it was to make divine worship more resplendent and appealing to Christian peoples, so too it made clear why the Church also must, from time to time, impose a check lest its proper purposes be exceeded and lest, along with the true progress, an element profane and alien to divine worship creep into sacred music and corrupt it.”

In Musicam Sacram (Sacred Music) of Vatican II, which was issued in March 5, 1967, ordered the preservation and fostering of the great treasury of church music, beginning with the Gregorian chant up to the most modern compositions. As Monsignor Richard Schuler points out, “This is to be done within the setting of liturgical worship, not merely in concert form. Most of this vast repertory that spreads across centuries of human achievement demands trained groups of singers and instrumentalists to perform. It is art and demands skill and training in the musicians needed to perform it. It is the highest form of human artistic endeavor, worthy of God and His worship ( What is Sacred Music? In Sacred Music , Fall 1991).

Over the slower summer months, I will continue to expand on this topic as a way of helping us all increase our knowledge and devotion to the Church and her care for Sacred Music.

From the Pastor

By John Putnam May 30, 2025
On this Feast of the Ascension, we celebrate Christ’s triumphant return to the Father after perfectly accomplishing His mission on earth. But we also can also view this Feast as a celebration of the “launch day” of our commissioning as Christ’s disciples. Today’s Gospel draws our attention to the clear instructions that Jesus gave His disciples (and to us) just before ascending to the Father: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." Embracing a stewardship way of life, with its emphasis on the use of time, talent and treasure, helps us to live in such a way that our very lives speak as a witness of the Good News of the Gospel. While we take time to reflect and renew our commitments in these three areas annually as a parish family, it is of great benefit to take some time individually throughout the year to take stock of the commitments we have made — looking at both our strengths and our need for continued growth in each area. On this Feast of our "launch day," take some time to celebrate your victories as Christ’s disciples and renew your commitment to remain faithful to Him and the unique mission He has entrusted to you! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering In Matthew 28:20 Jesus reminds the apostles, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I have always taken great strength and consolation from these words. They are foreshadowed in the Old Testament in Isaiah 41:20: “Fear not for I am with you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” These are words from a God who loves us and who desires our good. A God who desires to make His dwelling with us and to inspire us to live lives worthy of Himself. They are words that help us prepare ourselves to celebrate Pentecost and to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in us and among us.  Next Saturday evening, we will celebrate the Rite of Confirmation and Reception into Full Communion with our candidates who have been participating in the OCIA process. Please keep them in your prayers and help them find their place within our parish community. In the morning next Saturday, we are privileged to host the diaconate ordination for seven of our diocesan seminarians. As noted previously, one of them, Michael Lugo, will be with us for the summer. This parish is phenomenal in helping these young men find their “ministerial feet” so to speak. And we always welcome the opportunity to be blessed with their enthusiasm and energy. Finally, the Diocese has approved our moving into the construction phase for the rectory project. The prep work has already been done, and the actual building phase should begin in the next few weeks. This weekend, we are making a final push to reach our campaign goal. If you have not done so, we need your help and participation. The goal is doable and, together we can accomplish much. Assuming our fundraising keeps apace our hope is to begin the main-campus project next summer. Between now and then we will be doing some evaluations and, where necessary, value engineering to help us stay on track with the plan.
By John Putnam May 30, 2025
The concept of hospitality is fundamental to a stewardship way of life. When we envision hospitality, we naturally think of offering a sincere and warm welcome — to those new to our parish, for instance. We picture inviting them in and making them feel at home and at ease in our presence, communicating to them that they are highly valued. Today’s Gospel reading from John invites us to think of hospitality in a slightly different way. In it, we hear Jesus speaking this to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” Jesus is asking that we permit the Blessed Trinity to come and dwell within us. This is a stunning request. It tells us that our first and most privileged form of hospitality should be directed towards God Himself. How does one show hospitality to God? How do we make God “at home and at ease” within us? How can we communicate to God that He is “highly valued” by us? Jesus tells us how: we are to keep His word, to follow HIs teachings. To keep His word, we must know His word. This takes discipline and effort on our part. We must make the study of Scripture and Church teaching a priority in our daily lives. If we want our parish to be a place of genuine Christian hospitality, we must be sure that our own hearts are hospitable dwelling places for the Blessed Trinity. Then our smiles and words, our greetings and ministries will radiate with the warmth of God’s love. And our parish family will become at least a little bit like Heaven on earth. This is the simplicity and glory of a stewardship way of life . © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025
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