From the Pastor - Solemnity of Christ the King

November 27, 2023

Today we come to the end of the liturgical year, celebrating the magnificent feast of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Our readings provide contrasting images of this King of ours — He has authority over each and everything, and yet, He is humble and tender in His care for us, especially the most vulnerable.



How can we properly honor and love such a King? By offering Him our very lives through the stewardship way of life.

The Gospel passage from Matthew shows us how. The passage begins with Christ’s own description of His Second Coming, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.” Then the moment of judgment will come. Some will be invited into the Kingdom of Heaven — the others to eternal punishment.


This judgment will be based not on how influential we became in society, how high we climbed the corporate ladder, or any “worldly” achievements. Rather our judgment will be based on how we treated the least of those around us, whom Jesus calls His brothers. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” To make His point very clear, Jesus gives specifics — feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, showing hospitality to the stranger, and caring for the ill and imprisoned.


The more deeply we embrace the stewardship way of life, the more closely our priorities will align with His. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2023


Pastoral Pondering


Hopefully, the food fog has lifted by now and the last of the leftovers have been consumed and Black Friday passed without injury or incident. This Sunday brings us to the end of the Church year as we celebrate Jesus Christ King of the Universe. Kingship and Lordship are perhaps difficult concepts for the contemporary thinker, but they are apt images of our human relationship with the Divine. While some like to think of God as a buddy or pal. We should never reduce the Almighty to categories that are beneath the Divine dignity. Jesus did indeed take on flesh and become one of us to be Our Savior and our friend. At the same time, He did not do so to become more like us, but that we might become more like Him. Truly making Him Lord of our lives means more and more dying to ourselves so that His reflection can shine through us. This requires identifying the unhealthy attachments in our lives and asking Him for the grace to break them so that we can live in the freedom of God’s children. He will give the necessary grace if we are humble and sincere in asking.


A couple of weeks back the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith made public a response that they had given to a question posed by a Brazilian bishop regarding those persons identifying as transgender and whether any such person would be eligible for baptism and, beyond that, might stand as a godparent for baptism. The document was signed both by the prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal Fernandes and Pope Francis. Hence, it generated quite a bit of interest and, for some, confusion.


The media, of course, seized on the release to garner headlines by saying that the Pope had approved baptism for transgendered people and opened the door to gay marriage, etc., etc. Hence, I thought I would look at the document and note what it actually says. None of the responses presented were new, in that, they echoed previous responses from the dicastery. However, because it was released publicly and signed by the Pope, it was released to get attention.


In discussing baptism, the document notes: In the case of Baptism, the Church teaches that when the sacrament is received without repentance for grave sins, the subject does not receive sanctifying grace, although he or she does receive sacramental character. The Catechism states, "This configuration to Christ and the Church, brought about by the Spirit, is indelible; it remains forever in the Christian as a positive disposition to grace, as a promise and guarantee of divine protection, and as a vocation to divine worship and service to the Church." (Catechism, 1121)


At the same time, as the Holy Father often points out, Baptism is the doorway of grace. If someone comes, sincerely requesting the life-giving waters, the sacrament should normally be offered. There is power in the sacraments and grace that can bring about transformation and conversion. The Holy Father focuses on the abundance of God’s mercy and rightly so. At the same time, as with all of the sacraments, prudence and discernment are necessary. In these situations, true accompaniment would be helpful to walk with the person as they discern and hearken to God’s call.

 


From the Pastor

From the Pastor - All Saints Day

By John Putnam • October 30, 2026
On this Solemnity of All Saints, we have the profound joy of celebrating our brothers and sisters in Christ, the saints. This is an especially meaningful feast for us as Christian stewards. At Baptism, each of us receives the call to holiness and discipleship. In other words, we are all called to become saints. Holiness is not reserved for a select few. It is God's desire for every one of His children. The stewardship way of life helps us answer that call each day. In today's Gospel from Matthew, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes. They reveal the qualities that mark the lives of His disciples and point us toward authentic holiness. As we continue striving to live as faithful stewards, the Beatitudes provide a faithful measure of our growth in Christ. The "blessed" that Jesus describes are not different categories of people who make it to heaven. Rather, they reveal the character of those who belong to Him - the poor in spirit, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, and all who remain faithful in the midst of trials. None of us can live this way on our own. But as beloved children of God, we receive the grace we need through prayer, the sacraments, and a life centered on Christ. May the example of the saints inspire us to persevere in our own call to holiness, trusting that one day we will join them in the everlasting joy of heaven. © Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering October brought us the Church's renewed attention to mental health. Pope Leo XIV has asked us this month to pray that our communities become places where those who carry unseen burdens find welcome, dignity, and hope- not judgment or silence. Many of those burdens are carried by women and girls. Some have lived through abuse, assault, or trauma that few around them even know about. Recent headlines, including those from Cornell University, have reminded the whole country how widespread these wounds are and how alone many survivors feel. Regardless of the outcome and veracity of the Cornell case, these types of cases exist closer to home. Women in our own parish and community often suffer quietly, unsure where to turn or whether anyone will truly understand. There is help, and there is hope. Healed and Restored, the local Catholic ministry founded by our own parishioner Elza Spaedy, exists precisely for this purpose. Through counseling, workshops, spiritual mentoring, retreats, and a supportive community, it walks with women and girls who have experienced abuse, assault, domestic violence, trafficking, or other trauma. Rooted in faith, it helps them encounter the Divine Physician who alone can restore what has been broken and discover that their wounds do not define them. Many of the women who have walked this path have found real freedom and a renewed sense of their dignity as daughters of God. If you are carrying a wound like this, or if you know someone who is, I encourage you to reach out. Information is available at healedandrestored.org. And if you simply want to stand with those who are hurting, please keep them in your prayers. Sometimes the greatest gift we can offer is to notice, to listen without fear, and to point someone toward the healing Christ offers. May the Lord who binds up the brokenhearted make our parish a place of true restoration.

From the Pastor - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • October 23, 2026
Today's readings are all about love - God's faithful love for His people and the love we are called to return to Him and to one another. The stewardship way of life is simply the daily practice of these two greatest commandments. In today's Gospel, Jesus is asked which commandment is the greatest. His answer is both familiar and endlessly challenging. He says, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind ... The second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself." Why are these two commandments inseparable? Because both are rooted in love. When we love God above all else, we begin to see others as He sees them. And when we genuinely love our neighbor, we reflect the love we have first received from Him. This is the heart of Christian stewardship. It is simple enough for a child to understand, yet rich enough to spend a lifetime putting into practice.© Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering - Remembering the Saints and the Souls As October ends, the Church gives us two feasts back-to-back that show who we are as one family in Christ, living and departed. On November 1, the Solemnity of All Saints, we honor all the holy men and women now in heaven. That includes the famous names on our calendar, and it also includes the countless quiet saints no one ever canonized: grandparents, neighbors, and friends who loved God and others faithfully. Their lives remind us that holiness isn't only for a few. It's the calling of every baptized person. All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation and since it falls on Sunday this year, it is easy to remember the times for Mass. On November 2, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day), we pray for everyone who has died, especially our own loved ones. We trust in God's mercy and ask Him to bring them fully into the joy of His presence. Praying for the dead is one of the oldest Christian practices and a real act of love. The Church teaches that "all who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030). Purgatory isn't a second chance, and it isn't a smaller version of hell. It's God's mercy finishing what He began in us. Most of us leave this life still carrying some attachment to sin, and God lovingly purifies us so we can see Him face to face. Everyone in purgatory is already saved and on the way to heaven. The souls in purgatory can't help themselves, but we can help them. Since the earliest days, Christians have prayed for the dead (see 2 Maccabees 12:46). Our prayers, sacrifices, works of charity, and above all the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass can speed their way to God. This is the Communion of Saints at work: the Church in heaven, the Church on earth, and the Church being purified, all united in Christ and helping one another. Ways to take part Complete an All Souls envelope with the name of your deceased loved ones so it can be placed on the altar throughout November. Have a Mass offered for someone who has died. Visit a cemetery and pray for the faithful departed. A plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory is available, under the usual conditions, to those who visit a cemetery and pray for the dead from November 1 to 8, or who visit a church and pray the Our Father and the Creed on All Souls' Day. Ask a favorite saint to pray for you and your family. These days remind us that death doesn't break the bonds of love. We pray for the souls, we ask the saints to pray for us, and we look forward to the day we'll all be together in God's kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.