From the Pastor - Feast of the Holy Family

December 29, 2023

Today, we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Just as the Holy Family is holy, we are also called to be holy. This holiness is achievable by living as disciples of Christ.


St. Paul calls us to put on “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience… as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.” Let us “give thanks to God the Father” by being good stewards of His love and mercy to all our family members.

Today's Gospel says a lot about trust and surrender to our Lord. When Simeon and Anna prophesized about what was to come, Jesus' parents were “amazed at what was said about him.” We can imagine that two parents would be taken back by these words! Yet, the Holy Family surrendered their lives to God and had unwavering faith and trust in His plan.


God’s plan will fulfill our hearts more than we could have ever imagined. Like the Holy Family, we just need to trust, surrender and be attentive to God’s voice. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2023

 

Pastoral Pondering

We have been discussing those things that damage, attack, or weaken marriage.


The Church defines marriage as a covenant relationship that is to be a partnership of the whole of life (see CCC, 1601). My academic work in canon law focused on the introduction of this one phrase in canon 1057, §2 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. And while that might seem to be a rather small thing in the overall scheme of things, it actually gives rise to the overall Catholic understanding of marriage. The institution of marriage has particular properties and ends that make up the substance of marriage itself. These properties are unity, indissolubility and fecundity. These three support the ends of marriage, the good of the spouses and the procreation & education of children. Hence, permanence, fidelity and openness to life are the three legs of the tripod that support marriage and place it on a firm foundation.


Since we’ve already addressed infidelity (adultery) and permanence (divorce), our liturgical feast provides a good opportunity to discuss the openness to children and its importance to marriage.


Paragraph 2366 of the Catechism says this:

Fecundity is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be fruitful. A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. So the Church, which "is on the side of life" teaches that "each and every marriage act must remain open 'per se' to the transmission of life." This particular doctrine, expounded on numerous occasions by the Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act."


Concerning the regulation of births, Paragraph 2370 says this:

Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil:


Thus, the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality.... the difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.


Hence, contraception violates the very essence of marriage because it says, “I give you myself, BUT not this part.”


It is also helpful to remember how prophetic Pope St. Paul VI was when he warned in Humanae vitae:

Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.


Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resort to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.


A careful study of the historical record shows clearly how the widespread acceptance of contraception has led to marital infidelity, the bad fruit of the sexual revolution (seeing sexual intimacy as more of a recreational activity than its intended use) including abortion, infidelity, promiscuity, and the like. By extension, we can also see that once the marital act is separated from marriage, marriage loses a sense of what it is, opening the doorway to redefining marriage in any way one wants.


The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s recent decision to allow for the blessing of same sex couples who have attempted marriage, while perhaps being well-intentioned, adds to a greater level of confusion about the inherent nature of marriage and its importance to the life of the Church. The document clear that any blessing must be outside of an official liturgical action or ritual, but, human nature being what it is, and priests being fallible as we are, this will be abused and confused leading to even a greater diminishment of the understanding of marriage in our secularized culture.


From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 31, 2026
Today’s readings should inspire the Christian steward with deepened gratitude for our God, who loves us with both fierce and tender love. We must make an intentional response each day, returning love for Love. In our Second Reading from Romans, St. Paul reminds us that nothing and no one can separate us from the love of Christ. No anguish, distress, persecution, famine — and we might add illness, financial hardship, family struggles, or uncertainty about the future — nothing can keep our God from loving us. God holds us securely in the palm of His hand. And yet, this reassurance is only the beginning of God’s gifts to us. Our Gospel from Matthew recounts the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. This miracle foreshadows the gift of the Eucharist, where Christ feeds us not simply with bread, but with His own Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Notice how the Gospel begins. "His heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick." What generous and compassionate love our Lord shows. But even that is not enough for Him. He remains with the people, teaching and ministering to them until evening. When the disciples suggest sending the crowds away to find food, Jesus instead invites them to become part of His plan. He tells them to feed the people, then miraculously multiplies the few loaves and fish they offer. What a privilege it was for the disciples to participate in Christ's work. That same privilege is ours as Christian stewards. Let us respond with grateful hearts to such amazing love. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants,

From the Pastor - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 31, 2026
The stewardship way of life could be described as a daily pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven. In today’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus uses a series of parables to help us understand the incomparable value of that Kingdom. First, He reminds us that living for Him and for His Kingdom will require sacrifice. Yet the joy that comes from following Christ makes any sacrifice worthwhile. Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” He then compares the Kingdom to “a merchant searching for fine pearls." When the merchant finds a pearl of great price, he gladly sells everything he has to obtain it. In both parables, the Kingdom is something precious that must be sought and recognized. We must intentionally look for it amid the distractions and noise of the world. Yet Jesus also reminds us that the Kingdom is meant for everyone. He compares it to a net cast into the sea that gathers fish of every kind. At the same time, He reminds us that each of us will one day be judged. The angels “will separate the wicked from the righteous.” It is a powerful reminder that our choices matter. Let us pray for the wisdom to recognize the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst and to pursue it above all else. There is no greater treasure, and no greater source of joy, than a life lived as a faithful disciple of Jesus. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026. Pastoral Pondering I enjoy books generally. I like to hold them, look at them and, of course, read them. I also enjoy audiobooks because they are a good way to pass the time with all the driving that I do. I like a wide variety of books, but I generally try to avoid things that are strictly political. Hence, I was a little hesitant when the book Communion by J.D. Vance was recommended to me. However, what I discovered is that it is an excellent read and has nothing to do with politics. Rather, it is the story of the Vice President’s return to the Christian faith that eventually resulted in his becoming Catholic. I suppose “conversion” stories attract me because of my own background. And while I did not grow up in Ohio coal country as he did, there are many similarities to his family, described in Hillbilly Elegy, and my dad’s family from the mountains of North Carolina. This particular book, in some ways, is a sequel to Hillbilly . It discusses his chaotic childhood and exposure to Baptist and Pentecostal churches, his drift into atheism as a young adult, following the death of his grandmother, and his gradual return to faith which culminated in his conversion to Catholicism in 2019. The title refers to the Eucharist, and the author explores what it means to be Christian across life stages – as a child, young man, husband, father and public figure – while reflecting on the role of religion in public life and American society.  This memoir mixes spiritual autobiography with broader commentary on faith, politics, family values, and societal problems. While some have criticized it as more of a cultural manifesto, I appreciated the honest assessment of one man’s journey from his childhood faith to an adult faith which led to full communion with the Catholic Church. Granted, it may not be to everyone’s liking, but it shouldn’t be dismissed simply because the author is the current Vice President. I enjoyed it, and if you want something to pass a lazy summer afternoon, I’d recommend it.