From the Pastor - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 18, 2023

Our Gospel today from Matthew reminds us to trust in Him even when it seems He is not answering our prayers.


God wants to lead us to the joy of heaven to spend eternity with Him. For that, we must be strong in faith and live our lives as an act of love and gratitude to Him. In other words, we must allow Him to transform us into saints. This is what the stewardship way of life is meant to do. Sometimes, that will feel painful to us. Often, it will be challenging.


Jesus certainly challenged the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel passage from Matthew. She called out to Him on behalf of her daughter, who was being tormented by a demon. What did Jesus do in reply to this mother’s desperate plea? Nothing. He “did not say a word in answer to her.” Undeterred, the woman continues to call out to Him, yet He still does not give her what she asks for. Instead, He continues to challenge her faith.


And she rises to the challenge to such an impressive degree that Jesus exclaims, “O woman [a term of deep respect in that day], great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Imagine hearing those words proclaimed over us by God. Truly there could be no higher honor than hearing our Lord say that to us.


So we must accept the difficulties that come with the stewardship way of life. Some days will be a true challenge to our trust in God. But those are the days when God is making saints of us. Let’s embrace the hard days during these difficult times. The deep joy that eventually comes, the eternal reward He promises, will be so worth it.


But when we embrace the stewardship way of life, letting go of a tight hold over our money, time, and talents, our lives become a grand adventure, rooted firmly and gratefully in the God Who always cares for us. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2023


Pastoral Pondering

A recent report in the Charlotte Observer noted that the three “hottest zip codes” for home buyers are all located in the greater Charlotte the three in order are, the 28269 in north Charlotte, 28078 (Huntersville) came in second and 28277 (Ballantyne) came in third. This creates both challenges and opportunities. We presently have 4500 registered families and have begun a process of pastoral planning that has been set in motion for all the parishes of the Diocese. The goal of the process is to help each parish develop pastoral priorities that harmonize and complement those of Bishop Jugis and the Diocese.


The Bishop’s new pastoral priorities, as announced in his letter of April 16, 2023, are six:


  1. To help the faithful of the Diocese to renew and anchor their lives in the Most Holy Eucharist;
  2. While strengthening our communion with Christ, we must turn to Him to strengthen the communion within our families and the Church. The Church cannot allow herself to be fractured by partisanship. We must follow Our Lord, who prayed at the Last Supper, “that they may be one, as We are one;
  3. We are a family of faith. As such, we must inspire youth to find their home in the Church, speaking to the meaning of a true Christian life;
  4. In a time of moral confusion, we must inspire lives of personal holiness highlighting the beauty of chaste love;
  5. We must learn to proclaim the faith in a digital age, that we may better evangelize a culture teeming with secular and contrary messages; and
  6. We must meet the challenges of an ever-growing Diocese. In just 50 years the Diocese of Charlotte has grown from 34,000 Catholics in 75 parishes to more than 500,000 Catholics in 92 parishes and missions spread across 46 counties.


On July 10th, I sent my letter to Bishop Jugis which opens our pastoral planning process. In that letter I identified the following priorities that we will continue to develop over the next six months:


  1. Continue promoting Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in support of the National Eucharistic Revival;
  2. Asking our parish departments and apostolates to focus their efforts on strengthening family life through catechesis and adult engagement;
  3. In order to promote the unity for which Our Lord prayed, seek to accompany our parishioners in the pursuit of the good, the true and the beautiful as an antidote for the moral confusion in our culture. To do this through a robust adult education effort which includes engaging Evangelical Catholic and supporting our small group efforts along with missions and both formational and social opportunities;
  4. Continue our commitment to Youth Ministry through Edge, Lifeteen, Fraternus and Fidelis along with encouraging extra-parochial opportunities fostering strong support of our young people. Develop a stronger outreach to college-aged parishioners and young adults and encouraging them to take their rightful place in the life of the parish; and
  5. With the rapid growth of the Huntersville area, to begin considering the needs of the physical plant and making long-range plans, in cooperation with the Diocese, to examine the need for another parish in the North Charlotte area.


These are wide-strokes of priorities that we, as a parish, will need to “tweak” and develop as we prepare for our meetings with the Bishop and his staff in the Spring of next year.


From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • August 8, 2025
Whether you are just beginning your stewardship journey or have been living a stewardship way of life for years, today’s readings invite us to ask ourselves an important question. The question is this: “What do you treasure?” Of course, we all know the “right” answer: we treasure our faith, our family, and our friendships. But Jesus tells us in the Gospel passage from Luke how we can discover the real answer to this question. He says, “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” To discern what we really treasure, we need to do a check on our hearts. We can each ask ourselves, “Where do I spend the majority of my energy? Where do I find my thoughts dwelling? How do I choose to spend my time when I find myself with a few spare moments? What do my spending habits reveal about my what is important to me? As Christian stewards, we are called to live our lives in grateful response to all that God has given us. Do I recognize and treasure these gifts? © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering A couple of weeks back, I wrote about the various types of prayer. Following up on that, I wanted to address what I would call emotionalism and faith. Over the years I have encountered quite a few Catholics who complain that they do not get anything out of Mass or they don’t “feel” God’s presence. This often leads to their searching all over the place – sometimes in all of the wrong places – for something to fill that void. There is a danger here that needs to be avoided. The Catholic view of emotionalism, while not explicitly addressed as a single concept in official doctrine, can be understood through the Church’s teachings on emotions, reason, and the role of the will in spiritual life. Emotionalism, broadly defined as an excessive or uncontrolled reliance on emotions over reason or disciplined faith, is generally approached with caution in Catholic theology. Below is a concise explanation based on Catholic principles: Emotions as Part of Human Nature : The Catholic Church teaches that emotions (or "passions") are natural components of human psychology, created by God. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1763-1768), passions like love, joy, sorrow, or anger are neither good nor bad in themselves but become morally good or bad based on how they are directed by reason and the will toward God’s purpose. Balance of Reason and Emotion : Catholicism emphasizes the integration of emotions with reason and faith. Emotionalism, as an overemphasis on feelings without grounding in truth or moral reasoning, can lead to spiritual imbalance. St. Thomas Aquinas, a key Catholic theologian, teaches that passions must be governed by reason, which is informed by divine law and grace, to align with virtue (Summa Theologiae, I-II, Q. 24). Dangers of Emotionalism in Worship : In the context of liturgy and prayer, the Church values authentic emotional expression but warns against emotionalism that prioritizes subjective feelings over objective truth or the sacredness of worship. For example, Pope Benedict XVI, in his writings on liturgy, critiqued overly sentimental or entertainment-driven worship styles, advocating for reverence and focus on Christ’s sacrifice (The Spirit of the Liturgy). The Church encourages heartfelt devotion but rooted in doctrine and tradition. Sadly, there are many examples of contemporary Catholic worship that ignore this basic principle. Discernment in Spiritual Life : Catholic spirituality, as seen in the works of mystics like St. Ignatius of Loyola or St. Teresa of Ávila, stresses discernment to distinguish genuine spiritual consolations (from God) from fleeting emotional highs. Emotionalism that lacks discernment may lead to self-deception or instability in faith. Charismatic Movements and Emotional Expression : The Catholic Charismatic Renewal, for instance, embraces expressive worship and emotional experiences like joy or spiritual gifts (e.g., speaking in tongues). However, the Church regulates such movements to ensure they align with doctrine and are not driven by unchecked emotionalism. Vatican documents, like those from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, emphasize that charismatic expressions must be tested against Scripture and Tradition.  In summary, the Catholic Church views emotions as valuable but subordinate to reason, will, and faith. Emotionalism, when it overrides these, is seen as potentially misleading or spiritually immature. The goal is a balanced faith where emotions enrich but do not dominate one’s relationship with God. In the end, the goal of prayer, especially liturgical prayer, is to worship God. It is not about seeking heavenly warm fuzzies to make us feel better. On occasion we may certainly receive these signal graces, and we should thank God for those. Nonetheless, they are not ends in themselves. The only end of the spiritual life if God Himself.

From the Pastor - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • August 2, 2025
Today’s Gospel passage comes as a pat on the back from Heaven for all of us striving to live a stewardship way of life. It reminds us why we live the way we do and why we make the choices we make. Let’s face it, if we truly embrace this way of life, there will be people who find our choices — based on serving God and others — downright foolish. But let’s see what God thinks. Spoiler alert: turns out Christian stewards are not the fools! In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that life is not about “stuff” as he tells the parable of the wealthy businessman who thought he had everything figured out. The man had such an abundance of stuff that he didn’t have room to store it all. So, thinking of earthly things and not on what is above, he decided to build a bigger place to store all that stuff. Patting himself on the back, he thought about what good times he would have in the years ahead. But Jesus tells us that day would turn out to be the man’s last day on the earth. And he had spent it thinking only of himself. How foolish! Don’t be ashamed of living differently from the people around you. Be confident as you set priorities based on what is above. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering With the election of Pope Leo XIV, many folks have expressed an interest in understanding the history of his most recent predecessor with the same name, Pope Leo XIII, who is considered a great proponent of Catholic Social teaching. His encyclical, Rerum Novarum, is the basis for our understanding of this important branch of Catholic theology, so I thought it might be useful to share a summary of that document. Rerum Novarum, an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, addresses the social and economic challenges of the modern world, emphasizing the Church's role in addressing injustices within the rapidly industrializing society. It marks the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching and sets a framework for dealing with issues related to labor, capital, and society. Key Themes of Rerum Novarum: Dignity of Labor : It affirms the dignity of work and the rights of workers, including just wages, the right to form unions, and decent working conditions. Work is not merely an economic activity but a means for the personal development of individuals. Private Property : The encyclical upholds the right to private property, stating that it is natural and beneficial for individuals and families. However, this right carries with it the responsibility to use one's property for the common good. Role of the State : It outlines the role of the state in promoting justice and protecting the rights of individuals, especially the poor and vulnerable. The state should act as an agent for social order and the common good but should not overreach into individual freedoms. Class Cooperation : Pope Leo XIII advocates for the cooperative relationship between employees and employers, encouraging a spirit of mutual understanding and collaboration rather than conflict, aiming to harmonize interests for societal benefit. Social Justice : The encyclical is concerned with the effects of unchecked capitalism and socialism, critiquing both extremes and emphasizing a balance that respects human dignity while promoting social justice and the well-being of all members of society.  Rerum Novarum serves as a cornerstone for subsequent Catholic social thought, inviting us to consider how we can address economic and social issues while respecting human dignity and the common good.