From the Pastor – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 20, 2019

From the Pastor – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The four pillars of parish stewardship are hospitality, prayer, formation and service. Today’s readings show us the immense value of prayer and the privileged place it must have in our individual lives and our in parish community.

Our Lord Himself calls us to prayer — and persistence in prayer — in the Gospel passage from Luke. Jesus tells the parable of the nagging widow who finally wears down the judge with her unrelenting persistence in her pursuit of a just ruling from him on her behalf. Jesus goes to great lengths to describe this judge, saying he “neither feared God nor respected any human.” Yet even this corrupt judge responds with a just judgment because of the widow’s persistence.

Jesus uses this outlandish example to draw a vivid contrast between a reluctant, dishonest judge and our loving, all-merciful Father. If even a bad judge will give a good result in response to a persistent request, how much more (infinitely more) eagerly and perfectly will our good Father respond to our persistent prayers to Him.

If he delays in responding, if he provides a different response from the one we were expecting, we can remain confident and trusting in His goodness, knowing that His response, whenever it comes and in whatever form, will be the very best one for us.

Our job then, as Christian stewards, is simply to remain faithful to our relationship with God through prayer. We must lean on each other in our communities — family and parish — as we support each other in prayer. A strong pillar of prayer will make all our other stewardship efforts fruitful. Catholic Stewardship Consultants ©

Pastoral Pondering
As I write this, I am on retreat with the other priests of the Diocese in Maggie Valley, NC which is located in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. The retreat master, Fr. Augustine Esposito, OSA, has been speaking to us on the importance of prayer in the life of the priest. This, of course, should go without saying, but a life of prayer is essential to everyone who bears the name of Christ.

I believe prayer and knowing how to pray at times is a great struggle for many of us. I thought, therefore, that I would offer some suggestions that might be helpful as we strive to grow in our relationship with Christ. First, it is helpful to answer the question, “What is prayer?” St. Augustine responded that “the pious soul prays to conform his will to the will of God.” Hence, the goal of praying is configuring ourselves to Christ and making ourselves a total and complete gift to the Father.

Prayer is the way in which we can make God the very center of our lives. As we pray, we displace the things that are not Godly. This occurs because God has to be the center of our prayer. True prayer, of course, requires taking time for God. This can be a real challenge in the hectic world in which we live, but without prayer, the chaos of life can become unbearable. When we make room for God, He makes time for the other needs of our lives. “But I don’t know how to pray” someone might say. Well, the Lord has certainly given us a model. When the apostles asked the Lord to teach them how to pray, He shared with them the Our Father. Simply saying this prayer slowly and deliberately is a great place to start when we don’t know what we should do when approaching prayer. In the end our prayer time should afford us an opportunity to get lost in the presence of Christ.

The following points should be remembered:

  1. Prayer is not a grand oratio in a grand cathedral but a simple folk song in the chapel of our heart.
  2. Talk to the Lord as you would to a best friend.
  3. Prayer is the language of the soul, as soon-to-be Saint John Henry Newman would say, it is Cor ad cor loquitor, heart speaking to heart.
  4. Distractions are not an obstacle to God’s grace. They come and they go. Do not let them disquiet you. Be at peace and be silent before the Lord.

Finally, I would like to make another appeal to support our Perpetual Adoration here at the parish. The number of adoration hours that have only one hour is growing. The Church expects us, in order to have perpetual adoration, to have at least two adorers for each hour. Many people stop by the chapel regularly, but they are hesitant to commit to a weekly hour. In order to maintain perpetual adoration in the parish, we must fill these spaces. Please help. You can find a list of the immediate needs on the parish website.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 31, 2026
Today’s readings should inspire the Christian steward with deepened gratitude for our God, who loves us with both fierce and tender love. We must make an intentional response each day, returning love for Love. In our Second Reading from Romans, St. Paul reminds us that nothing and no one can separate us from the love of Christ. No anguish, distress, persecution, famine — and we might add illness, financial hardship, family struggles, or uncertainty about the future — nothing can keep our God from loving us. God holds us securely in the palm of His hand. And yet, this reassurance is only the beginning of God’s gifts to us. Our Gospel from Matthew recounts the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. This miracle foreshadows the gift of the Eucharist, where Christ feeds us not simply with bread, but with His own Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Notice how the Gospel begins. "His heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick." What generous and compassionate love our Lord shows. But even that is not enough for Him. He remains with the people, teaching and ministering to them until evening. When the disciples suggest sending the crowds away to find food, Jesus instead invites them to become part of His plan. He tells them to feed the people, then miraculously multiplies the few loaves and fish they offer. What a privilege it was for the disciples to participate in Christ's work. That same privilege is ours as Christian stewards. Let us respond with grateful hearts to such amazing love. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants,

From the Pastor - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 31, 2026
The stewardship way of life could be described as a daily pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven. In today’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus uses a series of parables to help us understand the incomparable value of that Kingdom. First, He reminds us that living for Him and for His Kingdom will require sacrifice. Yet the joy that comes from following Christ makes any sacrifice worthwhile. Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” He then compares the Kingdom to “a merchant searching for fine pearls." When the merchant finds a pearl of great price, he gladly sells everything he has to obtain it. In both parables, the Kingdom is something precious that must be sought and recognized. We must intentionally look for it amid the distractions and noise of the world. Yet Jesus also reminds us that the Kingdom is meant for everyone. He compares it to a net cast into the sea that gathers fish of every kind. At the same time, He reminds us that each of us will one day be judged. The angels “will separate the wicked from the righteous.” It is a powerful reminder that our choices matter. Let us pray for the wisdom to recognize the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst and to pursue it above all else. There is no greater treasure, and no greater source of joy, than a life lived as a faithful disciple of Jesus. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026. Pastoral Pondering I enjoy books generally. I like to hold them, look at them and, of course, read them. I also enjoy audiobooks because they are a good way to pass the time with all the driving that I do. I like a wide variety of books, but I generally try to avoid things that are strictly political. Hence, I was a little hesitant when the book Communion by J.D. Vance was recommended to me. However, what I discovered is that it is an excellent read and has nothing to do with politics. Rather, it is the story of the Vice President’s return to the Christian faith that eventually resulted in his becoming Catholic. I suppose “conversion” stories attract me because of my own background. And while I did not grow up in Ohio coal country as he did, there are many similarities to his family, described in Hillbilly Elegy, and my dad’s family from the mountains of North Carolina. This particular book, in some ways, is a sequel to Hillbilly . It discusses his chaotic childhood and exposure to Baptist and Pentecostal churches, his drift into atheism as a young adult, following the death of his grandmother, and his gradual return to faith which culminated in his conversion to Catholicism in 2019. The title refers to the Eucharist, and the author explores what it means to be Christian across life stages – as a child, young man, husband, father and public figure – while reflecting on the role of religion in public life and American society.  This memoir mixes spiritual autobiography with broader commentary on faith, politics, family values, and societal problems. While some have criticized it as more of a cultural manifesto, I appreciated the honest assessment of one man’s journey from his childhood faith to an adult faith which led to full communion with the Catholic Church. Granted, it may not be to everyone’s liking, but it shouldn’t be dismissed simply because the author is the current Vice President. I enjoyed it, and if you want something to pass a lazy summer afternoon, I’d recommend it.