From the Pastor – First Sunday of Advent

December 3, 2018

From the Pastor – First Sunday of Advent

We have arrived at the powerful season of Advent, a season to prepare with awe and wonder for the Feast of the Incarnation of Jesus — born to us as Savior and Brother. It is a season to prepare for His return at the end of time.

It is also a moment to remind ourselves that that our individual judgment day is coming, too, when we will be called to give an account for all that God has given to us during our lifetimes. In other words, Advent is a steward’s season!

Our readings for the first week of Advent waste no time in calling our urgent attention to these themes of reflection and preparation. They seem to shout, “Wake up! Get ready!” and offer us some practical advice as we enter into this season.

The Gospel, from Luke, warns, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” How easy it is to lose focus on our Lord either by too much indulgence in our lives or by too much worry about our lives. Both extremes are easy to fall prey to. To avoid these traps this we are told to “be vigilant” and “pray for strength to sustain us.”

During Advent, we Christian stewards must ask ourselves some hard questions. Am I staying faithful to my prayer life? Am I using my energy and skills to serve others? Am I overly concerned about material gain? Am I relying on my “stuff” or my investments as my source of comfort or security? Am I living for the moment or for the coming of the Lord?

Get ready Christian stewards! He’s coming! Let us prepare with awe and wonder.

Pastoral Pondering

With the First Sunday of Advent we begin a new Liturgical year, the year of St. Luke. It is also an opportunity to begin again to follow the Lord in a more intentional and committed way. True discipleship has never been a passive thing. It requires an active response on the part of the disciple. Simply being a spectator is not being an intentional disciple. Many of you have very intentionally responded to our Angel Tree outreach and to our call for Room in the Inn volunteers. These are just two ways intentional discipleship can take flesh in our lives.

We are surrounded by opportunities to be an intentional disciple of the Lord. For example, I was recently on the Lynx from downtown Charlotte to UNCC. A friend was in from out of town, and we thought riding the train would be a good way to see the surrounding area while avoiding the highway. During the course of the journey, we met a man by the name of Clarence. As far as we could tell, Clarence was homeless, but he had a joy and serenity about him that was contagious. He was quick to say hello to everyone and share a bit of his story.

I could not help but think about the character of Clarence from It´s a Wonderful Life. Ín that story Clarence was an angel who was assigned to help the main character, George Bailey, realize the blessings in his life and the impact he had made on those around him. In many respects the Clarence we encountered on the train did the same for us. In his poverty, he was joyful. In the midst of the struggles of life, he still exhibited a deep and abiding love for his fellow human beings. He taught us, and especially me, that regardless of how difficult life may seem, there are always blessings, seen and unseen. The letter to the Hebrews reminds us “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (13:2). I’m not sure if our Clarence was trying to earn his wings as was the Clarence from the story, but he certainly played the part of an angel in reminding us the beauty of life and the abundance of God’s blessings.

As we begin this new Liturgical year, let us one an all recommit ourselves to intentionally following the Lord and to pray for the opportunity to entertain angels in service to His glory and majesty.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • August 7, 2026
Stewardship spirituality invites us to surrender control of our lives to God in grateful recognition that everything we have is a gift from Him. Today's readings remind us that God is always in control of His creation and His people. They also reveal what can happen when we fully entrust our lives to Him — in other words, when we embrace the stewardship way of life. When we take our eyes off God, we lose sight of the fact that all is gift. We begin to rely on ourselves instead of trusting in Him, and we fail to make our lives a grateful response to His generosity. Peter experiences this in today's Gospel from Matthew. Jesus sends the disciples ahead of Him by boat. Later that evening, Jesus comes to them, walking on the water, and invites Peter to join Him. Peter steps out of the boat and begins walking toward the Lord. But when he notices the strong wind around him, instead of keeping his eyes on Christ, he begins to sink. Imagine if Peter had never looked away from Jesus. What an extraordinary adventure he would have experienced walking on the water with his Lord. The same is true for us. When we take our eyes off Christ, His countless blessings, and His faithful love for us, we begin to sink as well. But when we embrace the stewardship way of life, loosening our grip on our time, talents, and treasure and placing our trust in God, life becomes a great adventure rooted firmly in the One who never fails us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026. Pastoral Pondering First of all I want to thank all who participated in our meal packing effort last Friday and Saturday. What a gift it is to be able to come together as a community and unite for the sake of our brothers and sisters in need. These events cannot happen without the efforts of numerous people. To each of you who made it possible, THANK YOU! As we move into August and our lives begin reorienting from lazier summer months towards fall, it is an opportunity to reflect on the blessings that we were afforded to rest, refresh, and renew during these past weeks. Hopefully, family were able to spend some quality time with each other without the demands of school, work and the day to day demands that impact many of us.  For me, I was privileged once again to participate in the Te Deum Peace Pilgrimage to Fatima. This year we were able to invite and sponsor nine (9) seminarians from various dioceses including Charlotte, NC; Charleston, SC; Cleveland, OH; and Youngstown, OH. They along with a wonderful group of non-seminarian pilgrims were able to grow in our love for the Lord and Our Lady. It was a true blessing, and I was so impressed with the seminarians who were a part of our pilgrimage family for our time in Portugal and Spain. Along the same lines, please pray for parishioner Mark Pressley who is entering St. Joseph College Seminary. Mark’s family has been a part of the parish for many years. Keep him and the other nine (9) young men who are beginning their formation this fall.

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,