From the Pastor - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 28, 2022

How do I know if the Time, Talent and Treasure I offer God in grateful return is “enough?” What is the measure?

 

St. Paul tells us in the Second Reading today — the “measure” is the love that we put into each of these aspects of our lives. “If I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own and hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.” God is not after a particular number. What He wants us to give over to Him is our very selves.

 

Real love is not a sentiment. Real love is manifested in living a virtuous life. We read later in St. Paul’s letter that real love takes strength: it is patient, kind, humble, other-centered, truth-seeking, and long-suffering. Love is the heroic giving of oneself even when it is uncomfortable; especially then. Love looks like Jesus. It lives like Jesus.

 

Sometimes, living like Jesus is difficult. We see this in the Gospel Reading today where we find Jesus in action, preaching in the synagogue in His hometown. He speaks truth to the people He loves, the ones He grew up with and shared His early days with. How do they respond? They are filled with fury and run Him out of town, intent on throwing Him from a cliff! Yet Jesus is undeterred. He passes right through them and presses forward with the mission His Father has entrusted to Him.

 

We are called to live with this same strength and determination, fueled by the power of love and by gratitude for all God has given us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2022

 

Pastoral Pondering – Continuing our consideration of parish apostolates that strengthen marriage and family, this week I would like to highlight Teams of Our Lady. The following description is taken from their official website (www.teamsofourlady.org):

 

Teams of Our Lady is an international lay movement in the Catholic Church, designed to enrich marriage spirituality and make good marriages better. Teams provide a proven method of increasing and improving prayer life, which will help couples grow closer to God and each other. At the same time, their family will reap the benefits as well.

 

A team is comprised of five to seven couples whose marriage is recognized in the eyes of the Catholic Church. The team meets one time per month, rotating from one home to another. If a couple’s home cannot accommodate the entire team, the group can meet in a church meeting room or outside, if possible. Some teams might have a spiritual counselor or Priest Spiritual Counselor as part of their team. The Priest Spiritual Counselor comes to the meeting to provide his theological knowledge and expertise. The team shares a simple meal, prayer, sharing on the endeavors, and a study topic. The endeavors are the heart of the spirit of Teams. The team becomes a close community that can inspire one another through their living examples of faith, and share with one another their struggles and successes on their way to holiness.

 

"The Teams of our Lady, a gift of the Holy Spirit, is offered to couples throughout the world in order to help them live out their married spirituality.” (The Guide of the Teams of Our Lady). Couples from all stages of life (newly married, child rearing and empty nesters) can be part of Teams. It is not parish-based, but it is advisable for couples to live in the same geographic vicinity. Since this is a lay association, lay couples hold all positions of responsibility.

 

The Blessed Mother
 

The Blessed Mother is the Patroness of the Movement. We strive to follow and imitate Mary’s “yes” to God through prayer, scripture and the sacraments. Mary is the perfect disciple and follower of Christ. She takes everything and everyone to her Son. The Magnificat prayer is Mary’s proclamation of God’s greatness. Teams couples say the Magnificat prayer daily in communion with fellow Team members worldwide.

 

What Teams of Our Lady is Not

1.   It is not a Marian Movement, but Mary is our patroness.

2.   It is not a Bible study, but we read Scripture and learn about God.

3.   It is not a therapy group, but we share and support each other on our life journey toward Christ.

4.   It is not for counseling. Everything is held in strict confidence and all sharing is voluntary. We offer advice only if it is requested (usually done in private).

5.   It is not for troubled marriages. The Church offers other programs to help with serious marital issues. One such recommended program is Retrouvaille.

6.   It is not a supper club.

 

For more information about Teams of Our Lady, contact Tom and Danielle Mathis at tmathis3@me.com.

 

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 11, 2025
In today’s Gospel passage, from Luke, we read the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. Here, Jesus teaches us in rich detail what stewardship in action looks like. In fact, this parable could just as accurately be called the parable of the Good Steward. The first thing we note about the Good Samaritan is that he is aware of the needs of those around him and responds generously. While the priest and Levi brush right past the man on the side of the road, the Samaritan is watching for those who might be in need. He has a hospitable way of looking at the world around him and so he is able to “see” in a way that the others did not, and he was “moved with compassion at the sight” of the man. Next, we see the Good Samaritan spring into action to serve this man, setting aside his own schedule and plans to meet his needs. He does not just give the man a few dollars or offer quick words of encouragement from across the road. He goes right up to the man. He cleans and bandages his wounds. He puts the man on his own animal and brings him to an inn where he can heal. He ensures the innkeeper would continue to look after him, and he commits to re-turning to the man on his way back. That is how we live out God’s commandments. That is true hospitality and service.  That is how a good steward springs into action when he comes upon a neighbor in need. And Jesus says to each of us personally, just as He did in today’s Gospel, “Go and do likewise.” ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering I want to welcome Father Christopher Angermeyer to St. Mark as Parochial Vicar. As many of you know, Father was ordained in June. After completing his undergraduate studies at Belmont Abbey and St. Joseph College Seminary. He completed his theological studies and priestly formation at Mount St. Mary’s in Cincinnati. His home parish was St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte. We are happy to have Father Angermeyer with us. I know you will do your part to make him feel welcomed here at St. Mark. I will be away for the next couple of weeks on pilgrimage with a group of seminarians and faithful. Please know that the parish will be in my prayers, and I take all of your intentions with me to the Shrine of Our Lady.

From the Pastor - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 7, 2025
In today’s Gospel passage, from Luke, we find our Lord appointing disciples to go out and prepare others to receive His invitation into the Kingdom of God. Every verse has something to say about the way a Christian steward should approach others. Let’s consider at least one of the coaching tips Christ gives. “The Lord appointed seventy-two others whom He sent out ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place He intended to visit.” In His wisdom, Christ sent His disciples out not as individuals but in pairs, as teams. This approach to evangelization certainly provided practical advantages. The disciples could lean on each other for mutual support and encouragement, helping each other to stay on task and to put their heads together to pray and problem-solve. This teamwork approach is just as relevant to us modern-day Christian stewards. It takes courage and commitment to go out and invite others into the Christian life. We need to work together to do it well. But there is also symbolic importance to working in teams. It points to the reality that when we invite others to embrace the Good News of the Gospel, we are not merely inviting them into a belief system, but into a relationship with Christ and through that relationship, into Christ’s family — our fellow Christian disciples near and far. Our parish is our immediate spiritual family in this extended worldwide fold. We are not meant to live as isolated individuals within the parish any more than we are meant to live in isolation within our families. We are meant to be a community. That is why it is so important for us to foster a vibrant, supportive, welcoming parish life. This is why we emphasize hospitality as one of the pillars of stewardship. It is not enough just to point others to Christ; we must invite them to join us in community with Him; we must offer a place and mission for them in the Church and within our parish family. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering As you know, during the last weekend of May (5/31-6/1), we had our final push for our Growing Home Campaign. I wanted to give everyone a final update as we conclude our fundraising period. During that weekend’s presentation, I asked everyone to help us close the $325,000 gap to meet our $9.7 M goal. As we close this portion of the campaign, I am happy to report that we have reached $10.5 million in pledges and gifts, exceeding our goal by $800,000! I am continuously amazed by the giving spirit that pervades our parish. Your generosity is a tangible expression of your commitment to our amazing parish. The funds raised over the goal and any funds raised going forward will help us to address the ever-increasing cost of construction and reduce the loan amount that will be required to complete the overall project. As noted earlier this year, the Rectory project has started and is projected to take about 12 months to complete. Our hope and plan is to break ground on the Monsignor Bellow Center and Adoration Chapel next summer or early Fall. Words alone never seem adequate to express the gratitude that I have in my heart for all of you who have participated in and supported this monumental effort. Both the financial support and the support with time and talent have been tremendous and for that, I want to offer a heartfelt “THANK YOU!”. May God bless each of you for your generosity in helping us grow our home here at St. Mark.
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