From the Pastor – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 6, 2017

From the Pastor – 31 st Sunday in Ordinary Time

There is no question Jesus had a way with words. The Word of the Lord is filled with what we are very familiar with in our society — sound bites if you will, which convey so much meaning. The last verses of today’s Gospel from St. Matthew contain one of those short statements which carry so much more meaning. Jesus says, “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

In those two sentences are found the key to a stewardship way of life, which revolve around service and humility. There is no question that these are powerful words. They reveal to us all that we need to understand to be a true disciple of Christ. In his letter to the Philippians St. Paul wrote, “Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but EMPTIED HIMSELF, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:5-8).

True humility will be ultimately exalted by God. Our society teaches us to strive to reach the top, but Jesus is reminding us that we need to regard others as more important than we are. We have two choices in life perhaps, to be self-exalters, or to be God-exalted. Is there any doubt as to what we as Christians should pursue?

Pastoral Pondering

With the end of Daylight Savings Time, the reality of the approaching winter normally sets in along with the reality that it’s only 50 days until Christmas! Don’t panic, there is still time. The shorter days, hopefully, afford us an opportunity to become more reflective and recollected. I think this is particularly important as we approach this season of giving. This weekend, Thanksgiving bags are being collected, and the Angel Tree and other charitable projects are underway.

We need to reflect on why we give? In a world where there appears to be so much selfishness and even hatred, why do we bother? I think the answer lies in the question. Because there is so much selfishness and hatred in the world, we need to give because in so doing we show that all is not lost. There is reason for hope. The life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus calls us to look outward rather than inward and realize that whatever we have is a gift from God. We give because it is who we are called to be. You and I are called to be Jesus, especially to those who suffer and lack life’s basic necessities. The giving at Thanksgiving and Christmas (and throughout the year) is an effort to show that in this crazy world, there are still lights in the midst of the darkness. And even though individually we can only dispel a bit of the darkness around us, together we can create a blaze that allows the people who dwell in darkness to see a great light.

From the Pastor

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.

From the Pastor - Sixth Sunday of Easter

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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