Evangelical Reflections - Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent - March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

Tuesday of the 3rd week of Lent

Matthew 18:21-35


When I used to hear today’s Gospel as a kid, I used to think that Jesus meant that I only had to forgive 77 times in my life and then after that, no one was off the hook.

That would be interesting, wouldn’t it? “I’m sorry, you’re the 78th apology I’m supposed to give so I can’t forgive you. Move along.”

Obviously, that’s not what Jesus is saying. The number 7 was a symbol of infinity back then, so what Jesus was actually telling us is that we have to forgive those who hurt us over and over and over again. Forgiveness will always have to be a part of our lives; why? Because God forgives us over and over again and we must do likewise in order to be free.

Forgiveness does not mean that we have to be friends with the person who harms us. In fact, sometimes it’s extremely healthy to not have the person who hurt us in our lives. When I was a child, I was sexually abused by a family friend. It’s taken years and years but I have finally been able to forgive that person in my heart. And the freedom that has come into my life since then is unlike anything I can begin to describe. That person will never be a part of my life. Did they hurt me beyond anything I could imagine? Yes. Do I still deal with effects of that to this day? Most definitely. But I do not hold resentment in my heart towards them anymore. They haven’t even asked for forgiveness, but I have given it to them, through the help of the Holy Spirit.

I share this deeply personal experience with you all, my parish family, because it no longer has a hold on me. I don’t have shame because Jesus has healed me of that. I don’t have anger because I have been forgiven and therefore, I must forgive too. Is it easy? Nope. And I know so many of you have experienced this same thing or something different but the pain is there and real. In that, I would encourage you to do the hard work of healing yourself and forgiving who you need to forgive. Jesus knows that we need to forgive others to be free.

All of our priests know about the “Unbound” way of healing and I would encourage you to seek them out. If you need counseling, we would be happy to refer you to someone as well. If you just need to talk or you need prayers, reach out to our staff. We have so many resources to help you. Most importantly, reach out to the Divine Healer who is waiting for you in the sacraments and all He longs to do is restore you and love you.

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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