From the Pastor – 6th Sunday of Easter

May 7, 2018

From the Pastor – 6 th Sunday of Easter

The First Reading from Acts begins with Cornelius falling at Peter’s feet. Peter lifts him up and says, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.”

Cornelius was likely the inspiration for that statement. St. Cornelius is a significant person in the Acts of the Apostles. A documented centurion in the Cohors Italia , he is considered by most Bible researchers as being one of the first Gentiles converted to Christianity.

The message, however, applies to all of us, as most of us are indeed Gentiles. It is made clear that Cornelius was a holy and generous man. However, he did not receive the Holy Spirit until he had heard the Gospel from Peter and responded to it. That is what each of us is called to do as well. If we allow the Lord to be an important part of our lives, God will do everything for those who are willing to receive Him.

This reading then reports, “While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.” St. Peter is later criticized for entering the house of a Gentile, eating, and then baptizing Cornelius, but in Acts 11 Peter responds, “If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” God is there for all of us, but we must receive Him and open our lives to Him.

Pastoral Pondering

As we move into May and the close of the school year, I want to graduate all of those who are graduating from high school or college over the next several weeks. Henry Hoyt, who has been serving as our sacristan, is graduating from high school and preparing for the next chapter in his life. I want to thank him for his dedicated service. Patrick Martin, a rising high school senior, has assumed the sacristan role.

2018 marks the 50 th anniversary of the encyclical of Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae. The Latin title translates simply, Of Human Life. The sub-title was on the regulation of birth. It was released on July 25, 1968 during a tumultuous time in the Church and the world. Sadly, at the time of its release, much of its wisdom was lost because of the widespread rebellion against what the world saw as an “unenlightened view” of human sexuality. When one reads the full contents of the document, it is easy to assert that Pope Paul was actually prophetic in what he saw as resulting from the widespread use of “the pill”.

In a recent article in First Things , Mary Eberstadt notes that “The most globally reviled and widely misunderstood document of the last half century is also the most prophetic and explanatory of our time” ( https://www.firstthings.com/article/2018/04/the-prophetic-power-of-humanae-vitae ). She summarizes these “prophetic points” methodically, and it is worth considering them and allowing the reality to enter into our prayer and conduct.

The first empirical reality she notes is the correlation between the use of contraception and abortion. Fifty years ago, one of the mantras of those opposing the prohibition was that the use of contraception would render abortion obsolete. In reality, however, “rates of contraception usage, abortion, and out-of-wedlock births exploded simultaneously.” Moreover, the judicial overturn by the Supreme Court of prohibitions on selling contraceptives in the Griswold decision in 1965. This decision became part of the justification for the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973. The justices concluded that if contraception is legal, then abortion must also be legal in case contraception fails. As Eberstadt states: “Legal reasoning justifying freedom to contraception has been used to justify freedom to abort…It is plain in hindsight that the “lowering of moral standards” foreseen by Humanae Vitae could come to include disrespect not only for women, but for the human fetus too.”

The facts are incontrovertible that the old defense of birth control as the alternative to abortion is simply false. In actuality, experience shows that the widespread use of contraception is an accelerant to abortion. Because of this more people outside the Church have come to recognize the prophetic voice of Pope Paul VI and Humanae Vitae. As Eberstadt states: “Observing what the sexual revolution has wrought, more and more Protestant voices now question yesterday’s nonchalance about contraception. This reconsideration is far from a majority view – yet, anyway. But it manifests what any minority view must have in order to win over others: evidence and moral energy.”

Pope Paul’s assertion that the widespread use of contraception would lead to a decline in sexual morality and a growing disrespect for human dignity and life have become all too clear on our society today. From Terry Schiavo to Alfie Evans we see the disintegration of a respect for basic human dignity on all fronts. In the weeks ahead, I will consider the other points Dr. Eberstadt makes as we observe this important anniversary of Pope Paul’s prophetic encyclical.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Fourth Sunday of Easter

By John Putnam • May 9, 2025
Throughout the Easter season, our readings have given us glimpses into the life of the newborn Church and the bold witness of the early disciples in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to all who would listen. The disciples were the first to live a stewardship way of life, and their example is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. In the First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, we catch up with Paul and Barnabas in Antioch. While they certainly have some success in reaching many people there with the message of salvation, others are downright infuriated by their words and send them packing. Yet, we read that “the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” Overall, it seems as if Paul and Barnabas had failed in Antioch. But seeing failure has not robbed them of their joy. What’s more, they are filled to the brim with the abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit. How is this possible? It is only possible because Paul and Barnabas saw themselves as nothing more and nothing less than stewards of Christ and His Good News. This realization brought them freedom — to offer themselves and their lives to others for the sake of the Gospel. The “results” of their efforts were up to God. This Spirit-filled, joy-filled life is available to us all today. It can be achieved when we recognize, as did Paul and Barnabas, that all we have and all we are is a gift from God, meant to be shared with others for His glory. Of course, living as God’s stewards does not guarantee a life of ease or a life free of sacrifice. Sometimes the steward’s life involves challenges, requiring all the strength and love one has to give. In the end, there is simply no more satisfying way to live. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Because of the time limits placed on us by the bulletin company, this is being written before the conclave begins but will be published after the fact, so we may actually have a new pope (and I hope we do) by the time you are reading this. It is a good reminder that there are still limits on our modern efficiency. Over the past couple of weeks, in addition to praying for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, we have also had the opportunity to celebrate confirmation with Bishop Martin with a little more than half of our confirmands (99), the remaining 80 or so will be confirmed this week. We have also celebrated two of our First Holy Communions with the remaining two being celebrated next Saturday. May is always busy!  It is always a great blessing to celebrate these sacraments with our young people. Celebrating with the second graders is a special joy because they are so open to God’s presence in their lives. We are also praying for those candidates (folks baptized in another Christian church) who will be received into the full Communion of the Catholic Church on the Vigil of Pentecost. Please keep all of these folks in prayer as they grow in the sacramental life and in their walk with Christ.

From the Pastor - Third Sunday of Easter

By John Putnam • May 2, 2025
In today’s Gospel, we find the Apostles dejected and discouraged following the death of our Lord. Poor Peter decides to throw in the towel on the whole disciple thing and go back to his old way of life, declaring, “I’m going fishing.” Upon hearing this, the other disciples follow him. How easy it is for all of us to backslide on changes we have made in our lives, especially when it comes to our spiritual lives. But look how Jesus treats the disciples during their “backslide.” He is right there with them in the midst of it, already waiting for them on the shore when they come back from their unsuccessful return to the fishing business (after abandoning their mission as disciples). Our Lord greets them tenderly, gives them some fishing pointers, and then prepares their breakfast. How gracious He is to them! He is just as gracious today. When we find ourselves “out at sea” — discouraged by our failures or for squandering the gifts God has given us, or simply by a lack of progress in our faith life, Jesus is with us! He is calling to us from the shore to come back to Him without shame or embarrassment, but with hope-filled trust in His steadfast love. He never tires of offering “do-overs” if we just keep returning to Him. This constant process of turning back to the Lord, of reevaluating our goals and priorities as we aim for Heaven, is the essence of a stewardship way of life. Let us take heart as we continue our journey today, secure in the knowledge that Jesus is beside us every step of the way. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering The process of electing a new Pope is one that has marked and impacted history for centuries. It is still a process, despite movies and books concerning the process, that is surrounded by some mystery. Once the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church declares that the Pope is dead, a whole set of processes are set in motion. While the daily work of the Holy See continues, there can be no innovations. The task of preparing for the funeral of the deceased pope and preparing for the coming conclave is entrusted to the Cardinal Camerlengo (Kevin Cardinal Farrell) under the guidance of the body of cardinals. All cardinals, regardless of age, can participate in the various consultations that occur prior to the conclave. Only those cardinals who are less than 80 years of age can actually participate in the conclave and choose the next pope. The voting cardinals are sworn to secrecy and are locked into the Sistine chapel where four votes can occur each day. A two-thirds majority of the cardinal-electors is required for a new pope to be chosen. If a ballot is indecisive, the ballots are burned, and black smoke is released from the chapel. When a pope is elected, the ballots are burned, and white smoke is released. When a new pope is chosen, he has to accept his election and, if he accepts, choose his pontifical name. He then changes into papal garb and is presented from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.  As we await the Papal election, please continue to pray for the Church and the cardinal-electors. Their task is a heavy responsibility. Our union with them in prayer will assist them to be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and carry out their task with fidelity and determination.
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