From the Pastor 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 18, 2019

From the Pastor 6 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The following reflection is from Dr. Scott Hahn. It is a beautiful commentary on our readings this weekend.

The blessings and woes we hear in today's Gospel mark the perfection of all the wisdom of the Old Testament. That wisdom is summed up with marvelous symmetry in today's First Reading and Psalm: Each declares that the righteous—those who hope in the Lord and delight in His Law—will prosper like a tree planted near living waters. The wicked, who put their "trust in human beings," are cursed to wither and die.

Jesus is saying the same thing in the Gospel. The rich and poor are, for Him, more than members of literal economic classes. Their material state symbolizes their spiritual state. The rich are "the insolent" of today's Psalm, boasting of their self-sufficiency, the strength of their flesh, as Jeremiah says in the First Reading. The poor are the humble, who put all their hope and trust in the Lord.

We've already seen today's dramatic imagery of reversal in Mary's "Magnificat." There, too, the rich are cast down while the hungry are filled and the lowly exalted (see Luke 1:45—55 also 16:19—31). That's the upside-down world of the Gospel: in poverty we gain spiritual treasure unimaginable; in suffering and even dying "on account of the Son of Man," we find everlasting life.

The promises of the Old Testament  were promises of power and prosperity— in the here and now. The promise of the New Covenant is joy and true freedom even amid the misery and toil of this life. But not only that, as Paul says in today's Epistle, we're to be pitied if our hope is "for this life only.

The blessings of God mean that we'll laugh with the thanksgiving of captives released from exile (see Psalm 126:1—2), feast at the heavenly table of the Lord (see Psalm 107:3-9), "leap for joy" as John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb (see Luke 6:23; 1:41, 44), and rise with Christ, "the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Pastoral Pondering

Beginning tomorrow morning, we will be replacing the sound system in the church. When the church was built two separate systems were installed, one for the choir and one for the sanctuary and nave. We have experienced ongoing challenges with these and even though we replaced speakers in the nave, the inability of the two systems to “get along” has been an ongoing challenge. During the replacement, Masses will be celebrated in the Kerin Center except for the Masses on Wednesday and Friday evening. On Wednesday the morning Mass will be held at 9 am in the Kerin Center. There will be no 7 am Mass that day.

We are continuing to have challenges with the parking lot on Sunday morning. We are looking at ways to address this. It is imperative that those picking up Faith Formation/Edge on Sunday morning exit via the west entrance by the Adoration chapel . This allows the 11:15 Mass goers to come in and find a place to park. Please also cooperate with the parking lot volunteers.

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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