From the Pastor - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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:


  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

From the Pastor - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • October 3, 2025
Our readings today show us that living a stewardship way of life, that is, a life focused on serving God and His Kingdom, is not easy. They also show us that our lives belong to God, not to us, and that God will indeed bring about the fulfillment of His kingdom., We just need to have faith that He can do it and commit to our small part in His grand design. This is both our privilege and responsibility as Christian stewards. Jesus makes this privilege and responsibility clear in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. When the apostles as the Lord to increase their faith, He tells them that even a mustard-seed sized faith is all that is needed to move mountains (because it is God who does the heavy lifting). We need to only take the tiniest step forward, and He will do the rest. But living our lives in His service is also very much our responsibility, as Jesus explains through the parable of the unprofitable servant later in the passage. Our Lord describes a scene in which a servant has just come from tending to the master’s affairs and asks whether it would be reasonable for the master to begin waiting on the servant. Of course, it would not be reasonable! The servant would be expected to continue to serve his master until he has completed the work the master has given him that day. Jesus says that we should have the same attitude before God. The time, talents, and treasure entrusted to us are all God’s. Our very lives belong to Him. Whatever we do on God’s behalf with our lives and our gifts is simply our God-given responsibility. The stewardship way of life makes the privilege and responsibility of serving Christ and His kingdom a reality. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering  As we move into autumnal colors, with shorter days and cooling weather, the late weeks of the liturgical year always provide us with an opportunity to reflect on faith and life. It is also that time of the calendar year when we start thinking about those who are less fortunate among us. In the coming weeks, we have a number of efforts to assist the least of our brethren with life’s basic needs including the coat drive, thanksgiving food drive and the Christmas giving effort (formerly known as the Angel Tree ©). There are no shortage of demands placed on all of us these days, but the spiritual and corporal works of mercy remain the bedrock of our Catholic lives. Thank you in advance for responding with a generous heart.

From the Pastor - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • September 26, 2025
We have all been given great power by God in the form of Time, Talents, and Treasure. Today’s readings remind us that this power is meant to be used for great good. And that failure to do so has eternal consequences. We see the urgency for us to put our powers to good use in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. Our Lord tells the rather chilling parable of the rich man who ignored poor Lazarus during their lifetimes. At the moment of the rich man’s death, he goes down to the netherworld, while Lazarus is taken to the eternal joy and comfort in the bosom of Abraham. The rich man keenly regrets his indifference towards the needs of Lazarus, but it is too late for regret. His choices have played out, and now the rich man will face the consequences of his failure to use the gifts God gave him. Pursuit of God’s kingdom and care for the poor are not trifling matters. Our Lord makes this clear to us over and over in the Scriptures and the constant teachings of our 2,000-year-old Church. We are free to ignore these teachings and live instead for ourselves. But there will be tragic results for us in the end. And, because we are made for eternity, living selfishly on this earth doesn’t really bring us true happiness anyway. So how can we use our great powers for great good? By embracing stewardship way of life. By putting God first in all areas of our lives — in the way we spend our time, the ways we share our talents, the ways we give of our financial resources. Stewardship living calls us out of our comfort zone and into commitment to the Lord and the things that matter to Him. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Even though this year is not a presidential or mid-term election, local elections are quite important, and we often don’t take them as seriously as we should. This year we have two parishioners running for office, Dan Boone is running for town council, and Bill Fountain is running for school board. To some these positions may seem insignificant, but it is at the local level that we, as Catholics, can have the greatest impact. I thought it might be helpful then to give a reminder of the duties of Catholics in political life. The Church teaches that lay Catholics bear primary responsibility for temporal affairs, including politics, as an extension of baptismal vocation (CCC 1913). Key duties include:  Forming Conscience : Study Church teachings to discern moral priorities; avoid reducing faith to single issues but prioritize intrinsic evils like abortion. Active Involvemen t: Vote informatively, run for office, join parties or advocacy groups, and dialogue with officials to apply Gospel values. Pope Francis stated, "A good Catholic meddles in politics," offering the best of oneself to help leaders govern justly. Non-Partisan Advocacy : The Church engages issues (e.g., life, family, peace) but avoids partisanship to focus on principles. Parishes can host voter education but not endorse candidates. For Public Officials : Catholic politicians must align actions with Church moral teachings; supporting grave evils like abortion risks scandal and cooperation in evil. Separation of church and state protects, rather than hinders, faith-based action in public life. Challenges and Encouragement In polarized environments, Catholics may feel disenfranchised, but the Church calls for renewed engagement to transform society incrementally toward justice. Resources like the USCCB's Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (updated periodically) guide voters on applying Catholic Social Teaching. Ultimately, political action flows from love of neighbor, proving faith through works (James 2:14–17).