From the Pastor – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 22, 2019

From the Pastor – 25 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

After today’s readings, we can’t say we have not been warned about the dangers of mixed up priorities. God’s Word is so very clear today on the necessity of putting Him first in all areas of our lives.

We see this in the First Reading from Amos. The Lord has harsh words for those who would take advantage of the poor, and whose priorities are not aligned with God’s.

In the Second Reading from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul gives us the antidote to the self-centeredness condemned in our First Reading. The antidote is to imitate Christ, “who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” Rather than thinking of Himself and how to “get ahead,” Christ gave Himself away — completely — for our sake. That is how we are to live.

In our Gospel passage from Luke, the Lord shows us how to bridge the gap between worldly thinking and priorities, and eternal thinking and priorities. Jesus tells the parable of the corrupt but clever steward who is about to get fired when the master discovers the steward has been squandering his property. Realizing his imminent unemployed status, the clever steward reaches out to the various debtors of his master to wheel and deal with them, making friends who would look out for him when he became jobless.

What if we put that kind of effort into our own tasks as good stewards of all God’s gifts to us? Into our ministries and apostolates, into the ways we could make more time for prayer as individuals, as couples, as families and as a parish? What if we got as creative as the “bad steward” in the use of our finances so that we could give more generously to the poor and to the advancement of God’s kingdom on the earth?

That’s our lesson and our challenge. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants

Pastoral Pondering

As I am writing this, we just concluded our 15 th Eucharistic Congress in the Diocese of Charlotte. I have been on the Steering Committee of the Congress since the beginning, and it seems strange that so many years have passed. There was a tremendous participation this year with about 7,500 people assisting at the Closing Mass on Saturday. The estimates are much higher than that for the procession and the average for the event overall.

In recent weeks there has been in various news and social media outlets a discussion of the lack of belief in the Eucharist among those who identify themselves as Catholic based on a recent Pew Research Center Survey. The survey found that 69% said that they personally believe that the bread and wine are only “symbols of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.” Just 31% (one-third) affirmed their belief in the Church’s perennial teaching. The survey also found that the 69% noted above, also believe that the Church teaches that the bread and wine are only symbolic, and 22% know the Church’s teaching on transubstantiation and still reject it.

The Church teaches clearly and authoritatively that at the consecration the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Their appearance remains unchanged, but their substance is transformed. This is central to our understanding of who we are. In fact, for those who know the Church’s teaching and reject it, they cease to be Catholic, and their reception of Communion would be a sacrilege.

While the results of the survey are certainly upsetting, it should be a wakeup call for all of those who have responsibility for formation and catechesis. It also highlights the utter failure over the past several decades to pass on authentic Catholic teaching on this essential matter. While some of the blame rests with parents and guardians who have not passed on the faith to their children, the Lion’s share of the blame can be lain at the feet of Bishops, priests, deacons and religious who have failed to teach authentically and have often played “fast and loose” with the Sacred Liturgy.

Our Eucharistic Congress is one response to this crisis, but it is incumbent on every parish to respond as well. Bishop Jugis, a number of years ago, issued liturgical norms for the Diocese to bring the parishes into conformity with the liturgical laws of the Church. The obligation to implement these norms is entrusted especially to pastors but also to all of those entrusted with pastoral care and faith formation.

At Saint Mark, we have been intentional in our desire to celebrate the Mass reverently and faithfully to what the Church expects. At times, this has resulted in complaints and opposition from some corners. Nonetheless, our commitment is to be faithful to who we are and what we believe as Catholics. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church indicates in #1333:

At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread. . .." "He took the cup filled with wine. . .."

With this in mind, we ask the Lord to renew within us and within the Church throughout the world, belief in this fundamental teaching so that we might never be separated from Christ who comes to us in every Mass hidden in the small white host.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Pentecost

By John Putnam • June 6, 2025
Today we reach the finale of the Easter season with the celebration of the great Feast of Pentecost. Reflecting on today’s readings, inspires a sense of awe as we consider the mighty power of the Holy Spirit at work giving birth to and sustaining our Church. Just as awesome — the same Spirit is calling to us this day to take up our part in the Church’s saving work. In the first reading, from Acts, we see the creative genius of the Holy Spirit moving through the newly confirmed Apostles “who began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The large crowd, gathered from all over the world were “amazed” and “astounded” that each one could understand the Apostles speaking in their own language. Each one of us, young and old alike, is personally called today by the Holy Spirit into the same mission as that of the first Apostles — to advance the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world. Just as He did on that Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our “own language” to give us the Good News of the Gospel and urge us to share it. We can think of our own language as the particular gifts, talents, and passions we possess. We experience the presence of the Holy Spirit through them and we are meant to put them to work in grateful service of the Kingdom of God. When we consider the stewardship way of life we are called to live, we often focus on the challenges it poses. Surrendering ourselves to God is indeed a challenging way to live. But it leads to a life that is exciting, creative, and deeply rewarding. Stewardship allows us to experience life as a great adventure because it is a life guided and directed by the very source of power and creativity— the Holy Spirit! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering At the dawn of creation, the Spirit hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2). In that very moment, God breathed life into the world. That same breath, that same Spirit, was breathed into the apostles when Jesus said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22) The Holy Spirit is not an abstract force. He is the breath of God , the Giver of Life, who animates the Church and renews our hearts. Without the Spirit, we are like dry bones in a desert. With Him, we are brought to life and made new. In the Acts of the Apostles, the Spirit descends upon the disciples like tongues of fire, and they begin to speak in different languages. But notice this: though they spoke in many tongues, they all understood one another . The Spirit doesn’t cause confusion—He brings unity. In a world divided by language, culture, politics, and pride, the Holy Spirit builds communion. He makes us one body in Christ. He does not erase our differences, but He harmonizes them. As St. Paul says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” We are each unique, with our own gifts and personalities. But the Holy Spirit brings those together for the common good of the Church. Unity in diversity—that is the hallmark of the Spirit. The apostles were afraid and hiding before the Spirit came. But when the Spirit descended, they were transformed. Cowards became courageous. Fishermen became preachers. Ordinary men became saints. That is what the Holy Spirit does. We too are sent—into our families, our workplaces, our communities. We are sent to proclaim the Gospel not always with words, but with our lives. We are called to be witnesses of mercy, joy, and truth in a world desperately thirsting for God. And the good news is: we are not alone . The Spirit is our Advocate, our Helper, our Strength. He prays in us when we do not know how to pray. He inspires, guides, convicts, and consoles. Let us open our hearts more fully to the Holy Spirit. Invite Him into your life daily. Ask Him to stir up in you the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Let us not treat the Holy Spirit as a distant mystery, but as a close companion. Let us walk by the Spirit, live by the Spirit, and be on fire with the Spirit.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Amen.

From the Pastor - Seventh Sunday of Easter

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.
More Posts