Evangelical Reflections - Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent - March 10, 2021

March 10, 2021

Wednesday of the 3rd week of Lent


Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus saying that He “has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it”. He is speaking about the law of the Ten Commandments and the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible.

Our reading today stops pretty quickly after that, but if we keep reading, Jesus keeps talking. He tells us that if we even look at someone with lust, we have committed adultery and that if we speak in anger against our neighbor that we have sinned against the 5th Commandment: thou shall not kill.

This is another tall order that Jesus is calling us to; He is telling us how we are to live our lives. It’s not enough that we just don’t physically kill someone, we shouldn’t even be angry with our neighbor. It’s not enough to just not cheat on our spouse, we shouldn’t even look at another person and have lust in our hearts or minds.

This takes great effort on our part. We have a natural tendency to be angry, to be lustful. It’s part of our fallen human nature. But in order to follow and love God, we have to rise above that. We have to be better if we want to call ourselves “Christian”.

Are we going to fail? Of course, we are going to sin and we are going to offend God and others and in that case, we should seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But just going to Reconciliation is not enough. We have to actively try to amend our lives and to do better. If we keep coming back to the confessional with the same sins, we should be asking ourselves, am I really trying to change my life? And if we can answer “yes” to that question, then great, keep going. But if not, we need to take a serious look at our lives and say, what needs to change in order for me to not keep committing this sin? Where do I need to reach out for help?

We were never meant to walk this path alone. If that means that we need to talk to a counselor, a family member, a friend, a priest, then we need to do that. Or do we possibly have the disease of addiction? Then I need to seek out a 12-step program and do the work of healing. God has given us so much that we need to live life to the full. Are we seeking that out and living it? We were never called to be stuck in our sin or sickness. Let’s rise above that, together.

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
More Posts