From the Pastor - Epiphany of the Lord

January 5, 2024

Today, we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord. The Gospel account of the three magi traveling to meet Baby Jesus is one that we know well. Yet, when we pause to reflect on this moment when these men met Christ for the first time, we recognize that there is much to be said for us still today.


When the magi entered the house, it says, “they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.” Clearly these men knew that they were in the presence of their King. They also came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which symbolize Christ’s kingship, divinity, and humanity.


Christ is still manifesting Himself to us today. We enter God’s house weekly, and we are in His presence. When we meet Him, do we offer Him our gifts — our time, talent, and treasure? As Christian stewards, we are called to respond with love, reverence, and gratitude.


Let us prepare our hearts to receive Christ’s many manifestations in our lives. We just need a grateful disposition to receive them. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2023


Pastoral Pondering

I want to wish everyone a very happy New Year. As we continue to celebrate our Lord’s nativity, the Epiphany reminds us that Emmanuel came to save the world. He offers His gift of salvation to all who willingly hear His voice and open their hearts to His message of love. In this New Year, let us all seek to be ambassadors of that message so that the world may come to know Him more intensely by the way we live our Christian lives.


Today, I also wanted to say a bit more about Fiducia supplicans, the recent document from the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith concerning blessings and those in irregular situations in terms of sacramental Communion. The document specifically addressed those with same sex attraction (SSA) living in a stable relationship as well as those who because of divorce or some other issue cannot participate in sacramental Communion.


Needless to say, the document has garnered lots of press coverage, thousands upon thousands of words of printed commentary, as well as any number of responses on social media. Our vicar general, Monsignor Patrick Winslow, wrote a concise response that was published on the Diocesan website and the Catholic News Herald which summarized the main points of the document. I won’t repeat all of that here. The US bishops also have a statement on their website from Bishop Robert Barron that you might also find helpful.


The problem with the document, and to be honest, much of the magisterial utterances during this pontificate, is it leaves a great deal unsaid that should be said. Confusion and wonderment arise from such statements which is the exact opposite of what the Holy See is supposed to be promoting, unity. The faith is not something to be toyed with. It is a treasure that is to be handed down and preserved. When we see divergent responses from bodies of bishops around the world, it again only raises questions of, “How is this Catholic? How is this promoting unity?” The only answer is that it is not.


Let me say clearly, there is no doubt that Jesus Christ came to save all. It is also true, however, that He never failed to unite that love with the revealed truth as He revealed it. I personally over the years have worked with countless people who have sincerely struggled with SSA as well as those who, sometimes through no fault of their own or simple ignorance, have ended up living in objectively sinful situations. Nonetheless, when presented with the truth, they have heroically tried to correct course and overcome whatever obstacles might be present. Jesus loved, and Jesus forgave. But He also, after telling the woman caught in adultery, “neither do I condemn you,” reminded to go “and from now on avoid this sin.”


Only Christ’s truthful love can heal us. We cannot simply affirm people’s sin in the name of being loving. Rather we are called to preach the truthfulness of the Gospel as the medicine for our sin. When we truthfully love someone in the name of Jesus then we are healed. When we try to separate the truth from love we only hurt those we try to love and ourselves. Christ loves the woman caught in adultery. That being said, He also calls her to a life with him and not the sin she is suffering.


Both the Diocese of Charlotte and our parish offer various supports for folks struggling with SSA, those dealing with the pain of divorce and those who are in need of help to regularize an irregular marriage situation. We are all sinners in need of God’s love and mercy, but receiving that mercy requires true contrition and a desire to change. The difficulty with FS is that lip service is given to this while at the same time undermining this foundational truth. FS mentions blessing the couple but makes no mention of ongoing support. If we study the sad path taken by some of our Protestant brothers and sisters in this particular area, changes were made for the sake of pastoral concern and solicitude which eventually turned into a wholesale abandonment of Traditional Faith and a fracturing of the Anglican communion around the world. We already see that in the disparate responses to FS from Africa on the one hand and Western Europe on the other. Let us pray that God who is faithful will guard and protect us from following that same path of fracture and dissolution.

 

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Pentecost

By John Putnam • June 6, 2025
Today we reach the finale of the Easter season with the celebration of the great Feast of Pentecost. Reflecting on today’s readings, inspires a sense of awe as we consider the mighty power of the Holy Spirit at work giving birth to and sustaining our Church. Just as awesome — the same Spirit is calling to us this day to take up our part in the Church’s saving work. In the first reading, from Acts, we see the creative genius of the Holy Spirit moving through the newly confirmed Apostles “who began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The large crowd, gathered from all over the world were “amazed” and “astounded” that each one could understand the Apostles speaking in their own language. Each one of us, young and old alike, is personally called today by the Holy Spirit into the same mission as that of the first Apostles — to advance the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world. Just as He did on that Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our “own language” to give us the Good News of the Gospel and urge us to share it. We can think of our own language as the particular gifts, talents, and passions we possess. We experience the presence of the Holy Spirit through them and we are meant to put them to work in grateful service of the Kingdom of God. When we consider the stewardship way of life we are called to live, we often focus on the challenges it poses. Surrendering ourselves to God is indeed a challenging way to live. But it leads to a life that is exciting, creative, and deeply rewarding. Stewardship allows us to experience life as a great adventure because it is a life guided and directed by the very source of power and creativity— the Holy Spirit! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering At the dawn of creation, the Spirit hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2). In that very moment, God breathed life into the world. That same breath, that same Spirit, was breathed into the apostles when Jesus said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22) The Holy Spirit is not an abstract force. He is the breath of God , the Giver of Life, who animates the Church and renews our hearts. Without the Spirit, we are like dry bones in a desert. With Him, we are brought to life and made new. In the Acts of the Apostles, the Spirit descends upon the disciples like tongues of fire, and they begin to speak in different languages. But notice this: though they spoke in many tongues, they all understood one another . The Spirit doesn’t cause confusion—He brings unity. In a world divided by language, culture, politics, and pride, the Holy Spirit builds communion. He makes us one body in Christ. He does not erase our differences, but He harmonizes them. As St. Paul says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” We are each unique, with our own gifts and personalities. But the Holy Spirit brings those together for the common good of the Church. Unity in diversity—that is the hallmark of the Spirit. The apostles were afraid and hiding before the Spirit came. But when the Spirit descended, they were transformed. Cowards became courageous. Fishermen became preachers. Ordinary men became saints. That is what the Holy Spirit does. We too are sent—into our families, our workplaces, our communities. We are sent to proclaim the Gospel not always with words, but with our lives. We are called to be witnesses of mercy, joy, and truth in a world desperately thirsting for God. And the good news is: we are not alone . The Spirit is our Advocate, our Helper, our Strength. He prays in us when we do not know how to pray. He inspires, guides, convicts, and consoles. Let us open our hearts more fully to the Holy Spirit. Invite Him into your life daily. Ask Him to stir up in you the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Let us not treat the Holy Spirit as a distant mystery, but as a close companion. Let us walk by the Spirit, live by the Spirit, and be on fire with the Spirit.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Amen.

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.
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