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 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • October 3, 2025
Our readings today show us that living a stewardship way of life, that is, a life focused on serving God and His Kingdom, is not easy. They also show us that our lives belong to God, not to us, and that God will indeed bring about the fulfillment of His kingdom., We just need to have faith that He can do it and commit to our small part in His grand design. This is both our privilege and responsibility as Christian stewards. Jesus makes this privilege and responsibility clear in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. When the apostles as the Lord to increase their faith, He tells them that even a mustard-seed sized faith is all that is needed to move mountains (because it is God who does the heavy lifting). We need to only take the tiniest step forward, and He will do the rest. But living our lives in His service is also very much our responsibility, as Jesus explains through the parable of the unprofitable servant later in the passage. Our Lord describes a scene in which a servant has just come from tending to the master’s affairs and asks whether it would be reasonable for the master to begin waiting on the servant. Of course, it would not be reasonable! The servant would be expected to continue to serve his master until he has completed the work the master has given him that day. Jesus says that we should have the same attitude before God. The time, talents, and treasure entrusted to us are all God’s. Our very lives belong to Him. Whatever we do on God’s behalf with our lives and our gifts is simply our God-given responsibility. The stewardship way of life makes the privilege and responsibility of serving Christ and His kingdom a reality. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering  As we move into autumnal colors, with shorter days and cooling weather, the late weeks of the liturgical year always provide us with an opportunity to reflect on faith and life. It is also that time of the calendar year when we start thinking about those who are less fortunate among us. In the coming weeks, we have a number of efforts to assist the least of our brethren with life’s basic needs including the coat drive, thanksgiving food drive and the Christmas giving effort (formerly known as the Angel Tree ©). There are no shortage of demands placed on all of us these days, but the spiritual and corporal works of mercy remain the bedrock of our Catholic lives. Thank you in advance for responding with a generous heart.

From the Pastor - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • September 26, 2025
We have all been given great power by God in the form of Time, Talents, and Treasure. Today’s readings remind us that this power is meant to be used for great good. And that failure to do so has eternal consequences. We see the urgency for us to put our powers to good use in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. Our Lord tells the rather chilling parable of the rich man who ignored poor Lazarus during their lifetimes. At the moment of the rich man’s death, he goes down to the netherworld, while Lazarus is taken to the eternal joy and comfort in the bosom of Abraham. The rich man keenly regrets his indifference towards the needs of Lazarus, but it is too late for regret. His choices have played out, and now the rich man will face the consequences of his failure to use the gifts God gave him. Pursuit of God’s kingdom and care for the poor are not trifling matters. Our Lord makes this clear to us over and over in the Scriptures and the constant teachings of our 2,000-year-old Church. We are free to ignore these teachings and live instead for ourselves. But there will be tragic results for us in the end. And, because we are made for eternity, living selfishly on this earth doesn’t really bring us true happiness anyway. So how can we use our great powers for great good? By embracing stewardship way of life. By putting God first in all areas of our lives — in the way we spend our time, the ways we share our talents, the ways we give of our financial resources. Stewardship living calls us out of our comfort zone and into commitment to the Lord and the things that matter to Him. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Even though this year is not a presidential or mid-term election, local elections are quite important, and we often don’t take them as seriously as we should. This year we have two parishioners running for office, Dan Boone is running for town council, and Bill Fountain is running for school board. To some these positions may seem insignificant, but it is at the local level that we, as Catholics, can have the greatest impact. I thought it might be helpful then to give a reminder of the duties of Catholics in political life. The Church teaches that lay Catholics bear primary responsibility for temporal affairs, including politics, as an extension of baptismal vocation (CCC 1913). Key duties include:  Forming Conscience : Study Church teachings to discern moral priorities; avoid reducing faith to single issues but prioritize intrinsic evils like abortion. Active Involvemen t: Vote informatively, run for office, join parties or advocacy groups, and dialogue with officials to apply Gospel values. Pope Francis stated, "A good Catholic meddles in politics," offering the best of oneself to help leaders govern justly. Non-Partisan Advocacy : The Church engages issues (e.g., life, family, peace) but avoids partisanship to focus on principles. Parishes can host voter education but not endorse candidates. For Public Officials : Catholic politicians must align actions with Church moral teachings; supporting grave evils like abortion risks scandal and cooperation in evil. Separation of church and state protects, rather than hinders, faith-based action in public life. Challenges and Encouragement In polarized environments, Catholics may feel disenfranchised, but the Church calls for renewed engagement to transform society incrementally toward justice. Resources like the USCCB's Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (updated periodically) guide voters on applying Catholic Social Teaching. Ultimately, political action flows from love of neighbor, proving faith through works (James 2:14–17).