From the Pastor – Third Sunday of Easter

May 6, 2019

From the Pastor – Third Sunday of Easter

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.

In matters of faith —With all the little ones we have running around St. Mark, it is easy to forget that many couples today struggle with infertility. This can be a source of great distress for couples who desperately want to start a family. In having discussions with couples, I have found that there is often great confusion regarding what is morally acceptable for Catholic couples to do in such situations. Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to discuss this topic as a way of providing insight and guidance for those who find themselves struggling with infertility. The information that follows is taken from The National Catholic Bioethics Center ( www.ncbcenter.org ) which is a great Catholic resource for guidance in difficult moral situations.

First of all, we need to remember that infertility is not new. In the Bible we encounter Abraham and Sarah as well as Hannah. Joachim and Ann also were childless as were Zechariah and Elizabeth. The Bible also reminds us that all we do should be in accord with God’s will.

Secondly, with advances in modern medicine, there are a number of morally illicit options that couples can use to assist them in getting pregnant. At the same time, there are those that are immoral because of the means that are used to obtain the end.

Morally Unacceptable Technologies for Addressing Fertility Problems within Marriage would include the following: In in vitro fertilization (IVF), sperm is collected and used to fertilize eggs in vitro. At least one embryo is then transferred to the uterus. • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a variant of IVF in which sperm is collected, treated, and micro-injected into eggs, followed by transfer of at least one embryo to the uterus. • Pronuclear-stage tubal transfer (PROST) and zygote intrafallopian tube transfer (ZIFT) are similar to IVF except that the embryo, either at the fertilized pronuclear stage or the zygote stage, is transferred to the fallopian tube. • In natural cycle oocyte retrieval intravaginal fertilization (NORIF), an egg is retrieved during a natural ovulation cycle without ovulatory hyper-stimulation and is placed with the sperm in a special vial with culture media. The vial is placed in the vagina for a period of forty-eight hours to allow fertilization to take place. The vial is then removed and the embryo is extracted and transferred into the uterus. • Cloning is the popular term for a technique called “somatic cell nuclear transfer,” which replaces the nucleus of an egg cell (ovum) with the nucleus of a body (somatic) cell in order to produce a new individual with a genetic code identical to that of the person who provided the body cell.

Morally Acceptable Technologies for Assessing and Addressing Fertility Problems within Marriage include:• Hormonal modulation of menstrual cycle irregularities; • Determination of cervical, uterine, and fallopian tube structural competence by imaging techniques (e.g., ultra-sound, hysterosalpingogram); • Surgical correction of tubal damage or occlusions; • Resolution of endometriosis; • Use of fertility drugs to address anovulation; • Use of Viagra or other agents or approaches to address erectile dysfunction; • Techniques to boost male sperm production in the testis; • Techniques to correct hypospadias or address premature ejaculation; • NFP (natural family planning) to observe naturally occurring signs of fertility during the woman’s cycle so as to

time intercourse for family building; • LTOT (low tubal ovum transfer), in which eggs are retrieved and transplanted into the uterus or fallopian tube at a point likely to increase the probability of fertilization following marital relations; • Other NaPro (natural procreative) Technologies

Morally Unresolved Technologies for Addressing Fertility Problems within Marriage include: • In artificial insemination (AI), sperm is placed into a woman’s uterus (intrauterine insemination, IUI) or cervix (intracervical) by a means (such as a catheter) other than a natural act of intercourse; •Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves the transfer of sperm and egg, separated by an air bubble, into the fallopian tube, so that fertilization occurs intracorporeally (within the mother’s body).

It should be remembered that those who have used illicit procedures because of ignorance are generally not culpable of a sin. Also, a child produced by an illicit means, is still a child of God with inherent dignity. It is important that when a couple is having difficulty and considering what options they might employ to assist, in addition to their doctors, they should also consult a priest or someone knowledgeable in Catholic moral teaching. The NCBC is also very willing to respond to questions when you contact them.

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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