From the Pastor - Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

February 2, 2020

From the Pastor - Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, when Mary and Joseph brought their infant Son to the Temple in obedience to the laws of their Jewish faith. This is a beautiful, and in many ways, mysterious feast — and one that is filled with lessons for a stewardship way of life. Our Gospel passage from Luke, recounting the details of the Presentation, teaches us a stewardship lesson through the example of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, the “Holy Parents.” Even knowing their Son was God,  they still carefully observed the faith practices of their day bringing him to the temple “to present Him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord.” Later in the passage we read that, “When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to their own town of Nazareth.” The Holy Parents were good stewards of their child, teaching Him to live in obedience to the practices of their faith from His infancy and throughout His “growing up” years.

Those of us entrusted with the care of children — whether our own children, godchildren, nieces, and nephews, grandchildren, or students — have a vital role to play in the faith formation of these young ones. We, like the Holy Parents, must steward these children well, forming them in the faith by both instruction and example throughout their lives.

What a privilege and high calling we have as Christian stewards. Let us take these stewardship lessons to heart and present our gifts and our young ones joyfully to the Lord.

© Catholic Stewardship Consultants 2020

Pastoral Pondering

As we come to the end of the first month of the New Year and the new decade, it is not a bad time to evaluate the status of our New Year’s resolutions. We make resolutions for various reason, e.g. better health, better organization, etc. We should also remember the importance of evaluating and making some spiritual resolutions. In a way we do this every time we pray the Act of Contrition (“I firmly resolve…”). On a deeper level though we should be resolute in striving to grow in holiness and strengthening our spiritual lives.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 26th, so we have several weeks to get ready. To experience a fruitful Lent, we need to set aside some time with the Lord and ask for guidance with what we should sacrifice and commit ourselves to during our Lenten observance. When we take time for this, we afford ourselves an opportunity to experience an increase of grace and a truly fruitful Lenten season.

If there is one thing I’ve learned over the years it is the reality of change. At times we can prepare for it and at others it simply comes whether we want it to or not. Shortly after Christmas, one of our Diocesan priests and pastors died unexpectedly. This left his parish, St. Margaret Mary in Swannanoa, without its spiritual father. This is traumatic for a parish community and requires someone with a special set of skills to promote healing.

In reviewing the possibilities, the Bishop and those who advise him believe that Father Becker would be very suited to this task. Hence, Father Becker will become the administrator of St. Margaret Mary parish on February 21.  As it is presently ordered, Father will spend Friday through Monday in Swannanoa. The remainder of his time will be spent here so that he can continue assisting with the chaplaincy at Christ the King High School.

While his duties at St. Mark will be reduced, especially on weekend, he will continue to be a part of our parish family. Please pray for him as this new chapter of his ministry begins. I am proud of all that he has accomplished while he has been with us, and I know he will be a blessing to the faithful of St. Margaret Mary in Swannanoa.

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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