From the Pastor - Fourth Sunday of Lent

March 12, 2021

Our readings today identify the most unlikely individuals for the most extraordinary tasks. These individuals are examples to us in our lives. 

In our First Reading, the Lord appoints Samuel to declare the next king of Israel. The Lord’s words to Samuel about who should become king cut right to the heart of what matters in God’s eyes, “man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.” We often embrace the misconception that things like status and appearance are what carry importance in life. Yet, God clearly states that it is what is in our hearts that matters most. So how do we cultivate hearts worthy of God? It starts in prayer — giving God undivided attention each day. Through this time set aside for our Lord, He will work on our hearts so that they will become more like His.
 
Our Gospel resounds what was proclaimed in our First Reading, “not as man sees does God see.” Jesus heals a blind man who people assumed was born blind as a punishment from sin. Yet, Jesus says, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” 

Jesus often worked through the most vulnerable people to show His greatest works. Like the blind man, we must recognize our need for healing and give God the authority to work through us. 

During these final weeks of Lent, let us ponder God’s words, “not as man sees does God see.” May we become dependent on our Lord so that He might work through us and transform us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2021

 

Pastoral Pondering

 

For the past several weeks I have been dealing with obstacles to the spiritual life, those activities and practices that have been shown to open one to spiritual oppression. Today I want to speak about more common sources of spiritual issues that can benefit from some process of spiritual healing.

 

As I have said previously, and as St. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12: For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. This struggle is common to all of the human family and, more often than not, occurs in every day temptations. These temptations are the lowest (and most common) works of Satan and his fallen angels. Fighting against temptations in our daily lives through prayer, penance and works of charity helps to build virtue in us and makes us more receptive to God’s grace. The converse is also true. Regularly giving into temptation, through a habitual sin, for example, increases our capacity for vice and hinders or cuts off the work of grace in our souls.

 

For sins that become habituated in our lives, it is often helpful to participate in some type of interior healing process. When such sins approach a level of addiction, counseling and even some type of 12-step program might also be in order. Each situation generally requires discernment in order to determine the best course of action. Obviously, confession is essential but when a particular sin keeps occurring over and over again, without any indication of improvement, it could be a form of diabolical oppression. The evil one, while he cannot read our minds, is able to use particular temptations, to target our weak points. The most common examples of this occur in the area of purity, especially with pornography and masturbation. However, it is certainly not limited to this one area of vice.

 

Admitting that we are not capable of overcoming the spiritual obstacle on our own is the first step to healing and conversion. All of the priests at St. Mark are familiar with the spiritual healing process. The one we most commonly use involves the use of the rosary over a period of time and concludes with a session of healing and deliverance using Neil Lozano’s methods in Unbound. In some cases, something more is required, and we deal with those cases as they come our way.

 

The most important thing to remember is that God desires healing and liberation for each of us. These things are allowed at times to lead us to a greater dependence on God and growth in holiness. Our goal and desire as followers of Christ should always be to attain the highest level of holiness and freedom so that we can serve Him more faithfully and hope for the glories of heaven. Don’t be afraid to reach out. God loves you and so do we.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Feast of the Holy Family

By John Putnam • December 30, 2025
Today, as we continue our celebration of the Christmas season, we focus our attention in a special way on the Holy Family. This is a great time to thank God for the gift of family life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to the family as the “domestic church,” so today’s feast is also a fitting time to consider the importance of the virtue of hospitality — a fundamental aspect of the stewardship way of life — within the context of our domestic churches. Why is hospitality so important to a stewardship way of life, beginning with family life? Well, we can hardly expect our family members to pray together, study their faith, and serve others if we have a home where we are disconnected from each other or the atmosphere is stressful and tense. Of course there will be moments like this. But we must be intentional in creating homes where everyone feels cherished, accepted and important. We want our homes to be the place where we can get recharged and filled up to go out and bring love to everyone we encounter outside our home. Today’s first and second readings are full of practical wisdom on how to create an atmosphere of true hospitality within our homes. Our first reading, from the Book of Sirach, speaks of the blessings that will come when children give honor to their parents — both young children who respect the authority of their mothers and fathers, and adult children who lovingly care for older parents. These are the actions and attitudes that create an atmosphere of respect, tenderness and unity in the family; all key elements of hospitality. Our second reading, from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, gives still more specific instructions on fostering hospitality within our homes. Paul reminds us of our great dignity as “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” This applies to every member of the family, from youngest to oldest and all those in between. In the daily drudge of family life it is important to remember that each one of us is cherished by God. We are not just fathers, mothers, children, grandparents; we are all also brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul’s instruction to “put on” compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and forbearance towards each other is the best possible formula for family hospitality. Paul is reminding us that (especially in the messiness of family life) we won’t always feel the feelings of compassion, kindness, and so forth. What can we do? We can “put them on” — we can act in ways that a compassionate, kind, humble person would act. This will create a transformative atmosphere of hospitality within the home that will spill out in the family’s interactions with those outside the home. Of course, this is not easy to do. But we can turn to the Holy Family for help. Lest we think that the Holy Family is somehow unable to sympathize with our struggles, we see in our Gospel passage from Matthew that this Family was certainly not free from trials and stress; quite the contrary. The very life of the newborn Jesus was threatened by Herod’s extreme jealousy such that the family had to flee suddenly into a foreign land for protection until Herod’s death. Yet Mary and Joseph remained united and ever obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit for direction. Who better to turn to for help and inspiration for our own families? Happy feast day to all families living a stewardship way of life! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering As we come to the end of the calendar year, it is popular to make resolutions for the New Year. Often these resolutions are short-lived and don’t come to much. Hence, I thought I would offer a Catholic take on New Year’s resolutions to offer some helps as we move into 2026. A good Catholic approach to New Year’s resolutions roots them in conversion of heart , growth in holiness , and cooperation with God’s grace , rather than mere self-improvement or willpower. Here’s how faithful Catholics typically frame them well: 1. Begin with Prayer and Discernment - Don’t just pick popular goals (lose weight, read more, save money). Spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament or during a holy hour asking: “Lord, what do You want to change in me this year? Where am I resisting Your grace?” - Consider making a short retreat (even one day) or going to Confession before January 1st to get a clear look at your soul. 2. Focus on the Theological Virtues and the Cardinal Virtues Instead of generic goals, resolve to grow in: -Faith→ Daily mental prayer (15–20 minutes), reading Scripture or the Catechism, attending an extra weekday Mass. -Hope→ Practicing gratitude, spiritual reading about heaven and the saints, trusting God in areas of anxiety. -Charity→ Concrete acts of mercy (visiting the lonely, tithing consistently, forgiving a specific person). -Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance→ Pick one capital sin you struggle with (e.g., gluttony, anger, sloth) and work on the opposing virtue. 3. Make Resolutions Small, Specific, and Sustainable. Catholics who succeed usually choose 1–3 concrete, measurable goals tied to grace: - Pray a decade of the Rosary every night before bed. - Go to Confession every month (or every two weeks). - Fast on bread and water every Friday (or give up snacks between meals). - Read 5–10 minutes of the lives of the saints daily. - Perform one hidden act of charity each day without telling anyone. 4. Attach Resolutions to the Liturgical Year Align goals with seasons instead of the secular calendar: - Advent → deeper prayer and detachment. - Lent → penance and almsgiving. - Easter → joy and evangelization. This keeps resolutions from being a one-time January push. 5. Use the Sacraments as the Engine, Not Willpower The best Catholic resolutions assume: - Frequent Confession (grace to overcome habitual sins). - Daily or at least Sunday Mass + (worthy Communion). - Regular spiritual direction or at least an accountability partner in the faith. 6. Embrace the “Do-Over” Mentality In Catholicism, every day (even every moment) is a new beginning. If you fail your resolution on January 3rd, you don’t wait until next year—you go to Confession and start again January 4th. This is the opposite of secular “all or nothing” thinking. 7. Classic Catholic Resolution Ideas (tried and loved for centuries) - Morning offering + 3 Hail Marys for purity every morning. - 15 minutes of mental prayer daily (Lectio Divina, Ignatian meditation, or simple “Jesus, I trust in You” repetition). - Monthly Confession and a personal rule of life. - Spiritual reading (10–15 min/day): Bible, Catechism, Introduction to the Devout Life, Story of a Soul, etc. - Friday penance (meat abstinence or another sacrifice) all year. - Daily examination of conscience at night (5 minutes). - One new devotion (First Saturdays, Sacred Heart enthronement, 54-day Rosary novena, etc.). 8. End with a Patron Saint for the Year A beautiful modern Catholic custom: On January 1st (or the feast of Mary, Mother of God), pray and randomly draw (or intentionally choose) a patron saint for the year. Ask his or her intercession for your resolutions. In short: A good Catholic New Year’s resolution isn’t about becoming a “better version of yourself.” It’s about becoming more like Christ, with the help of His grace and His Church, one small yes at a time.  “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16) is the only resolution that ultimately matters—and everything else flows from it.

From the Pastor - Fourth Sunday of Advent

By John Putnam • December 19, 2025
As our Advent preparations draw to a close and Christmas fast approaches, it is fitting that today’s readings demonstrate the intensity of the Father’s perfect and passionate love for each of us, culminating in the gift of His own Son, Jesus Christ, on Christmas Day. As we reflect on the enormity of this gift, let us ask ourselves what we can offer in return. In our first reading, from Isaiah, the Lord invites King Ahaz to “ask for a sign from the Lord, your God.” And not just any sign. The Lord says, “let it be deep as the nether-world, or high as the sky!” Ahaz, though, cannot arouse himself from his bleak and limited outlook, and actually refuses this invitation. Undeterred by his negativity, the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah, that he himself will provide the sign: “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son” and his name will be Emmanuel which means, “God with us.” What great love and patience our heavenly Father has shown his people throughout all ages! In the second reading, from Paul’s letter to the Romans, St. Paul sends a blessing of “Grace…and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This — grace and peace — is precisely the gift we celebrate on Christmas Day. Through his incarnation, Jesus brings the intimate love of God right into our midst; and through His death and resurrection, He saves us from our sins and restores us to right relationship with the Father. This is the peace that the world cannot offer. In response to such an overwhelming gift, what can we do except offer our lives as a gift in return, embracing a stewardship way of life with all the love and strength we have to give? In our Gospel passage from Matthew, we find an unparalleled example of one who embraced this way of life in St. Joseph, as he responds to God’s call to him through the message of an angel. St. Joseph immediately and humbly obeys the instruction from the angel: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Open to this extraordinary role, he did as the angel commanded and “takes Mary into his home.” We never hear St. Joseph speak, but the Scriptures tell us he was always listening, attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit for his family. It was Joseph who found the stable where the baby Jesus would be born. No doubt it was Joseph who cleaned it up and prepared it for Mary and Jesus since we know that Mary was about to give birth. Joseph protected the family, guarded them, and tended to their safety, their comfort, and their well-being at the expense of his own plans and preferences. Though we do not hear any words from St. Joseph his actions clearly show that he offered himself, his whole life, as a gift to his family through his strong guidance, protection, and service. Let us imitate St. Joseph, then, as good stewards, giving our very lives to those around us in love and gratitude to God who has given us everything we have, especially His own Son, Jesus Christ. We will no doubt find that the more we give ourselves away, the more our generous Father will fill us with His grace and peace — these are truly the best Christmas gifts we could receive. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Christmas is upon us and as we enter into these last days before the celebration of the Lord’s birth, I wanted to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude for the myriad ways each one of you makes St. Mark a wonderful place to pray, to worship and find a parish home. As I speak to people who visit us from other parts of the country or parishioners who, due to trips away, visit other parishes, it is nice to hear that St. Mark has something special about it. That “something special” has a great deal to do with the people who call St. Mark home. Christmas is a time to share the love of Christ, and over the past several weeks, you have done just that in our various charitable efforts, most recently our Christmas Giving Tree. Lives have been impacted for the better because of your generous response, and I know that God will bless you because He is never outdone in generosity.  Finally, please know that Fathers Angermeyer, Martinez, Huber and I wish each and everyone of you a very merry and blessing-filled Christmas!