From the Pastor - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 15, 2023

Today’s readings call us to look inward to the state of our hearts, our thoughts and emotions.

 

Our first reading, from Sirach, addresses the complicated emotion of anger. “Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?" We have all been wounded by others at some point, some perhaps quite deeply. Our emotions are gifts from God. But we must steward them well, rather than allowing them to overcome us.

 

How do we do this? Sirach tells us. “Remember your last days, set enmity aside... Remember the Most High’s covenant and overlook faults.” We embrace the stewardship mindset— not brooding over hurts but recalling all the gifts our good God has given us, all the love He continually pours out upon us, and we put our focus and trust in Him.

 

In our Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus reminds us of the true position we have before Him in light of all that He has done for us, comparing the kingdom of heaven to a “king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.” In the parable, a debtor is brought before the king, owing such an overwhelming debt that it could not possibly be repaid. Yet, the king is filled with compassion for the servant, forgives the debt and lets him go free.

 

Doesn’t that sound like each of us in relation to the King of Kings? The Father has given us life, and then sent His only Son to die for us to free us from our sin “debts” and make eternal life with Him possible for us. It is impossible for us to repay this debt. All we can do is thank God by giving Him our whole selves — inside and out.

 

What joy and freedom we find in the stewardship way of life!

 

©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2023

 

Pastoral Pondering

This weekend we have the opportunity to come together and celebrate Septemberfest as a parish family. It is good to worship together. It is good to pray together. It is also good to have fun together! Thanks to Rose George and all the staff and volunteers who make this annual event possible.

 

In this weekend’s pondering, I wanted to address a topic that I have been asked about a number of times over the last few months, the warning and the three-days of darkness. Recently, Father Chris Alar, MIC produced a YouTube Video concerning this topic. The notion of the warning and the three-days of darkness did not originate with Father Chris. Rather, it is deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture, especially in the book of Revelation. Moreover, it has been propagated by various private revelations including those of Fatima, Akita and LaSalette.

 

At Fatima, and through Our Lady’s instructions to Sister Lucia regarding the First Saturday Devotion, we know that Our Lord desires reparation. God’s justice will come, but the severity of his justice might be assuaged by our prayers of reparation united with the intercession of Our Lady. We know that her Immaculate Heart will triumph, but we also know that we must be obedient to her call for penance and reparation. This is encouraged primarily through the First Saturday Communion of reparation and by praying the rosary daily for the conversion of sinners.

 

St. Padre Pio is said to have prophesied about the three-days of darkness. Before him, however, similar messages were given to St. Anne Catherine Emmerich, St. John Bosco, St. Anna Maria Taigi and St. Faustina Kowalska. In 1918 Padre Pio began to experience the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ. Padre Pio testified to the truth of the revelations he received from the Lord in a letter he sent to the Vatican commission investigating the veracity of his experiences. The Lord told him that the time was at hand for his judgment to come. His faithful ones are told to be faithful in prayer and reparation. The Divine Judgement shall strike like a thunderbolt as were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. During this time, the faithful are admonished not go outside nor even look outside. They are to pray constantly. Blessed candles will provide the only light and hurricanes of fire will come upon the earth. The Lord said that no harm will come to those who keep my will and observe my warning. Following this punishment, on the fourth day, the sun will shine, and the angels of peace will descend on the earth.

 

So, what are we to do in response to these prophecies? We are to do what we are called to do always. We are called to pray, to be obedient to the Lord’s commands and to remain in the state of grace. In other words, we are called to pursue holiness in all we say and do. This, of course, is more and more difficult in the world in which we live. To be sure, there is still great goodness in the world, but there is also great evil. That which is wrong, the world presents as right. That which is good, the world presents as evil. Reality is being turned upside down. In light of this, we must remember the words of Sacred Scripture, those who walk in darkness have seen a great light (see Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16; John 8:12 and Acts 26:18). The LIGHT has been revealed to us, and our job is to follow the LIGHT and not take our eyes away from HIM. In John chapter 6 verse 20, Jesus says to the apostles, “It is I, do not be afraid.” He speaks those words to us as well. God is just, but He is also merciful to those who seek His mercy. Therein lies the key. We must seek His mercy every day. We must pray every day, and we must heed His words through St. Paul: So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. (1 Thess. 5:6)


From the Pastor

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!

From the Pastor - Third Sunday of Advent

By John Putnam • December 12, 2025
Good news, Christian stewards — we are gaining ground on our Advent mountain climb and it is time to take a moment to rejoice in the Good News that our Savior will come again in triumph one day. Today’s readings on this Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday are filled with reminders of God’s final victory over suffering and injustice, and encouragement to remain steadfast in our mission to live as faith-filled disciples. Such a day almost seems too good to be true, especially when we look around at the dire circumstances we face in our world at present. But by faith, we know this day is coming. Lest we grow weary as we await the glorious day of Christ’s return, St. James, in our second reading, offers wise counsel. “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” “Make your hearts firm… Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged.” This is excellent advice for us Christian stewards as we face the challenges of everyday life in our broken world, especially in the hectic days that precede Christmas when stress can make us and those around us less than our best selves. St. James reminds us that we can choose our response to both the great strains and the minor annoyances of life. In other words, we can be good stewards of our attitude, “making our hearts firm” by practicing patience with others and refusing to give in to the temptation to complain. We can choose to see and rejoice in God’s presence with us, no matter the circumstances surrounding us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Prior to the Hamas attack in Israel of October 7, 2023, I was planning to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with our seminarians. The events of that day put that pilgrimage on hold even though we had already raised funds for the pilgrimage. Now that relative peace has been restored, we will be embarking on the pilgrimage on December 26 th . I wanted to thank all of you who supported the effort and wanted to let you know that we are finally preparing to go. Pilgrimages to the Holy Land are very special opportunities for everyone, but such a pilgrimage is especially significant for a man preparing for priesthood because it provides a completely different perspective on the Scriptures and is able to inform his preaching and teaching. Christopher Cross is organizing this for us, and I would recommend one of his trips to anyone who would like to go. Chris brings a unique blend of humor and deep faith that makes the experience come alive in a wonderful way. I have been on a number of pilgrimages, and those with Chris have been the most impactful by far.  Please keep all of us in your prayers as we prepare for the pilgrimage and certainly know that you all will be in ours as we spend the Christmas Octave in the Holy Land.