From the Pastor - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 27, 2024

In our readings this week, Eldad, Medad, and the man driving out demons were all doing the work of God. They had been entrusted with a gift and used it to glorify the Lord. Joshua and John should have responded in joy and appreciation for another’s gifts and talents.

 

We oftentimes look at another’s strengths as our weakness whether it be in parish life, in the workforce, or even in our own families.

 

Jesus is calling us to cut out those sinful thoughts and attitudes from our lives. The next time we witness someone being a good steward of God’s gifts — rejoice! And continue to examine how you are using your gifts and talents to ensure you are being a good steward of what God has entrusted to you.


We do not want to end up like the rich in our Second Reading from St. James. They stored up their riches to the point where they withheld wages from their workers! They clenched tightly to the pleasures and luxuries that the world offers and put it in front of both God and their neighbor. They misused the gifts God bestowed on them.

 

We must keep this in perspective as we journey on our path as Christian stewards. We do not live for this life, but for the next.

He has given us time every day, countless talents, and numerous treasures. Are we using them for His glory?

This week when we witness other people in our lives using the gifts God has given to them, instead of becoming jealous or critical, say a prayer of thanksgiving and take time to reflect on what God has gifted you and how you can offer it to Him for His glory. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2024

 

Pastoral Pondering

One of the most important devotions arising from the Fatima messages is the First Saturday Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On July 13, 1917, Our Lady said to the children, “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart…I shall come to ask for the Communion of Reparation on the first Saturdays.” She came expressly with the request for this devotion when she appeared to Sister Lucia on December 10, 1925, in Pontevedra, Spain, where Sister was preparing for religious life.

 

Our Lady appeared with the Infant Jesus standing on a cloud, requesting acts of reparation for the blasphemies and ingratitude committed against her Immaculate Heart. Jesus said: “Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.”

 

Then Our Lady continued: “Look, My daughter, at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console Me and announce in My name that I promise to assist at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me.”

 

In 1939 Sister Lucia added: Whether the world has war, or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently, especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in heaven.” Jesus told Sister Lucia: “The souls who make the five first Saturdays with fervor and to make reparation to the Heart of your Heavenly Mother, please Me…”

 

How to practice the Five First Saturdays Devotion

 

Do the following on the first Saturday of the month for five consecutive months:

 

1.      Go to confession.

2.      Receive Holy Communion.

3.      Pray five decades of the Rosary.

4.      Meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary for fifteen minutes.

 

However, Our Lord adjusted these requirements for more flexibility:

Confession may be received before or after the first Saturday, as long as the devotee intends to make reparation. One must also receive Holy Communion in the state of grace. Jesus adds that if the individual forgets to offer the Confession beforehand, one may offer the next Confession as an act of reparation.

 

Why Five Saturdays?

 

Our Lord revealed to Sister Lucia that the number five represents the five sins committed against her Immaculate Heart:

 

1.      Blasphemies against her Immaculate Heart.

2.      Blasphemies against her perpetual virginity.

3.      Blasphemies against Her Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to recognize Her as the Mother of men.

4.      Publicly instilling indifference, contempt, and even hatred toward the Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children.

5.      Insulting her directly in her sacred images.

 

The First Saturday devotion has been practiced at St. Mark for a number of years following the 9 am daily Mass. In addition, in the last year, we have added the Family celebration which takes place following the 5 pm Mass on First Saturday. The evening celebration includes food and fellowship for the whole family.

 

Sources: EWTN and The Blue Army

From the Pastor

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.

From the Pastor - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • October 16, 2026
Today's readings remind us to be mindful not only of who we are, but also Whose we are. In today's Gospel, the Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus by asking whether it is lawful to pay the tax to Caesar. Their question is meant to force Him into choosing sides. But Jesus refuses to be drawn into their narrow way of thinking. Instead, He asks whose image appears on the coin. When they answer, "Caesar," Jesus responds, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." Those words remind us that while we have responsibilities in this world, our first allegiance belongs to God. Everything we have comes from Him, and through Baptism we have become His sons and daughters. Our time, our talents, our treasure, and our very lives are gifts entrusted to us by the Lord. May we use them each day in grateful response to His goodness, remembering that we belong to Him above all else. © Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering With the mid-term elections coming up and early voting beginning this past week, I thought it would be a good idea to remind everyone the importance of Catholics voting and engaging in civil life. On November 3 we will elect members of Congress, state officials, and many local officeholders. Midterm elections draw fewer voters than a presidential year, yet they shape the laws under which we live: the protection of human life, the freedom of the Church to teach and serve, the strength of the family, the care of the poor, and the education of the young. To stay home is not neutrality. It leaves those decisions to others. The Church has long taught that citizenship is part of charity. The Catechism says that co-responsibility for the common good makes it “morally obligatory… to exercise the right to vote” (CCC 2240). Pope Francis put it plainly: a good Catholic does not stand apart from politics, but offers the best of himself so that those who govern may serve the good of all. Voting is one ordinary way we do that. It is also a moral act, not a team sport. Our identity in Christ comes before any party label. The U.S. bishops, in *Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship* (scan code), remind us that we form our consciences by the Gospel and the Church’s teaching, then vote in light of that formation. A well-formed conscience does not support a program that contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals. Some acts are always gravely wrong: the direct taking of innocent human life, including abortion and euthanasia; attacks on the nature of marriage; religious persecution; and the deliberate degradation of the poor. Other issues—immigration, wages, housing, care of creation, criminal justice—also belong to the common good and require prudent judgment about what will help people. Not every issue carries the same moral weight, and rarely does one candidate embody the whole of Catholic social teaching. We weigh, we pray, and we choose the path that best protects human dignity and advances the common good. A few practical steps help. Read the bishops’ guidance and, where available, nonpartisan comparisons of candidates’ records and stated positions. Pray before you vote, perhaps with the family. Discuss the issues with charity, remembering that the person across the aisle is also made in the image of God. Then vote. If you cannot get to the polls, use whatever law the state provides. Participation does not end at the ballot box: write your representatives, serve the poor, and keep the Church’s voice in the public square after Election Day. Here at St. Mark we will not tell you whom to support. That judgment belongs to your conscience, formed by the faith. We will urge you not to surrender that conscience to habit, fear, or party. The Lord who will judge nations also judges how we used the freedom we were given. May we use it well.