From the Pastor - Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 15, 2023

On this sixth Sunday of Easter, our readings remind us that God must come first in our lives, and that love of God shows itself in concrete actions — this is precisely why the stewardship way of life is so necessary.


Our second reading, from St. Peter, challenges us to, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” In other words, we are to put Christ first above all else in our lives. His role is not merely as Savior of our lives, as significant as that role is — He is to be “Lord” of our lives as well. As His disciples, we are called to make Him ruler of all aspects of our lives — our time, talent, and treasure.


The beauty of the stewardship way of life is that it offers us a concrete means to show that Christ truly is Lord of our lives, to “prove” our love, in a manner of speaking, because true love is not a mere sentiment. “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me,” Jesus tells us in our Gospel passage from John.


True love is an act of the will. It requires obedience to all of God’s commandments. This requires courage, humility, and deep trust in Him.


But the rewards of this kind of love are indescribably wonderful. Christ tells us Himself, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”


Could there be anything more satisfying to live in such a way that the God of the universe is pleased to reveal more and more of Himself to us? © Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2023


Pastoral Pondering

Happy Mother’s Day! We pray a special blessing upon all of our mothers who do so much to make the world a better place, and we pray for the happy repose of all of our mothers who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.


I have been listening to The Catechism in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz. While I’ve had to go through the catechism before, this format is a nice refresher. One of the topics which he recently covered, coincided with a question that came in through the “Ask Father” portal on the parish website. The question regarded the Catholic understanding of extra ecclesia nulla salus (outside the Church there is no salvation). I thought it was be helpful to offer some brief comments here for everyone’s benefit.


This particular topic is addressed beginning with canon 846. The paragraph restates the statement positively by pointing out that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) states it this way:


Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence, they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.


What the Catechism does is recognize that God in His infinite mercy does not penalize those who do not know the Church’s necessity. In other words, God is not limited. The Council Fathers indicate that those who seek God to the best of their ability and according to the dictates of their consciences, can be saved.


This is especially pertinent when we think of those who, though baptized, are not united fully to the Church of Christ. While they are united to the Church imperfectly, they, nonetheless, are not cut off from God’s salvific plan.


Jesus teaches very clearly in the Scriptures that baptism is necessary for salvation. This, then raises the question about the non-baptized and how they fit into God’s plan. Paragraph 1257 points out that the Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are “reborn of water and the Spirit.” The paragraph goes on to note, however, that while “God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by His sacraments.”



Through the centuries the Church has understood that while water baptism is the normal means of receiving Baptism, there also exists the baptism of blood for those who are martyred for Christ and the Baptism of desire for those who, although lacking baptism, had a sincere desire to receive it. The latter is especially apropos for Catechumens who die before their initiation.

So, what about those who are non-baptized? In the end, the Church leaves much to God’s mercy. In the final analysis, any unbaptized who attains salvation, does so by Christ and through the Catholic Church; albeit the person would not know that fact until he arrived on the other side of eternity.


From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Epiphany

By John Putnam • January 2, 2026
Today we celebrate the Epiphany — the manifestation of Christ to the world. The stewardship way of life is nothing other than a grateful response to God’s countless manifestations in our lives, and a commitment to make His love manifest to others through the sharing of our gifts. St. Paul reminds us in Ephesians that the grace given to him was “for your benefit.” Every gift we have received is meant to benefit others and give glory to God. The Magi show us how to live this out: Worship is their highest priority.They travel far, ask openly, and refuse to let anything stop them from honoring the newborn King. Is Sunday Mass the non-negotiable center of our week? 2. They are watchful. “We saw his star at its rising.” Good stewards stay alert to God’s presence and gifts in daily life. 3. They persevere through difficulty. Herod deceives, dangers threaten, yet God guides and protects them. Our stewardship journey will have twists, but God is faithful. 4. They are overjoyed True stewards radiate the deep, lasting joy that only comes from encountering Christ. 5. They prostrate and open their treasures. Overwhelmed with awe, they give totally of themselves and their gifts — the perfect act of worship. This year, let us rejoice in every manifestation of God in our lives, stay watchful for His star, and open our own treasures — our time, talent, and treasure — in generous gratitude to our King.  Come, let us adore Him — and then go and make Him known.

From the Pastor - Feast of the Holy Family

By John Putnam • December 30, 2025
Today, as we continue our celebration of the Christmas season, we focus our attention in a special way on the Holy Family. This is a great time to thank God for the gift of family life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to the family as the “domestic church,” so today’s feast is also a fitting time to consider the importance of the virtue of hospitality — a fundamental aspect of the stewardship way of life — within the context of our domestic churches. Why is hospitality so important to a stewardship way of life, beginning with family life? Well, we can hardly expect our family members to pray together, study their faith, and serve others if we have a home where we are disconnected from each other or the atmosphere is stressful and tense. Of course there will be moments like this. But we must be intentional in creating homes where everyone feels cherished, accepted and important. We want our homes to be the place where we can get recharged and filled up to go out and bring love to everyone we encounter outside our home. Today’s first and second readings are full of practical wisdom on how to create an atmosphere of true hospitality within our homes. Our first reading, from the Book of Sirach, speaks of the blessings that will come when children give honor to their parents — both young children who respect the authority of their mothers and fathers, and adult children who lovingly care for older parents. These are the actions and attitudes that create an atmosphere of respect, tenderness and unity in the family; all key elements of hospitality. Our second reading, from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, gives still more specific instructions on fostering hospitality within our homes. Paul reminds us of our great dignity as “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” This applies to every member of the family, from youngest to oldest and all those in between. In the daily drudge of family life it is important to remember that each one of us is cherished by God. We are not just fathers, mothers, children, grandparents; we are all also brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul’s instruction to “put on” compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and forbearance towards each other is the best possible formula for family hospitality. Paul is reminding us that (especially in the messiness of family life) we won’t always feel the feelings of compassion, kindness, and so forth. What can we do? We can “put them on” — we can act in ways that a compassionate, kind, humble person would act. This will create a transformative atmosphere of hospitality within the home that will spill out in the family’s interactions with those outside the home. Of course, this is not easy to do. But we can turn to the Holy Family for help. Lest we think that the Holy Family is somehow unable to sympathize with our struggles, we see in our Gospel passage from Matthew that this Family was certainly not free from trials and stress; quite the contrary. The very life of the newborn Jesus was threatened by Herod’s extreme jealousy such that the family had to flee suddenly into a foreign land for protection until Herod’s death. Yet Mary and Joseph remained united and ever obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit for direction. Who better to turn to for help and inspiration for our own families? Happy feast day to all families living a stewardship way of life! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering As we come to the end of the calendar year, it is popular to make resolutions for the New Year. Often these resolutions are short-lived and don’t come to much. Hence, I thought I would offer a Catholic take on New Year’s resolutions to offer some helps as we move into 2026. A good Catholic approach to New Year’s resolutions roots them in conversion of heart , growth in holiness , and cooperation with God’s grace , rather than mere self-improvement or willpower. Here’s how faithful Catholics typically frame them well: 1. Begin with Prayer and Discernment - Don’t just pick popular goals (lose weight, read more, save money). Spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament or during a holy hour asking: “Lord, what do You want to change in me this year? Where am I resisting Your grace?” - Consider making a short retreat (even one day) or going to Confession before January 1st to get a clear look at your soul. 2. Focus on the Theological Virtues and the Cardinal Virtues Instead of generic goals, resolve to grow in: -Faith→ Daily mental prayer (15–20 minutes), reading Scripture or the Catechism, attending an extra weekday Mass. -Hope→ Practicing gratitude, spiritual reading about heaven and the saints, trusting God in areas of anxiety. -Charity→ Concrete acts of mercy (visiting the lonely, tithing consistently, forgiving a specific person). -Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance→ Pick one capital sin you struggle with (e.g., gluttony, anger, sloth) and work on the opposing virtue. 3. Make Resolutions Small, Specific, and Sustainable. Catholics who succeed usually choose 1–3 concrete, measurable goals tied to grace: - Pray a decade of the Rosary every night before bed. - Go to Confession every month (or every two weeks). - Fast on bread and water every Friday (or give up snacks between meals). - Read 5–10 minutes of the lives of the saints daily. - Perform one hidden act of charity each day without telling anyone. 4. Attach Resolutions to the Liturgical Year Align goals with seasons instead of the secular calendar: - Advent → deeper prayer and detachment. - Lent → penance and almsgiving. - Easter → joy and evangelization. This keeps resolutions from being a one-time January push. 5. Use the Sacraments as the Engine, Not Willpower The best Catholic resolutions assume: - Frequent Confession (grace to overcome habitual sins). - Daily or at least Sunday Mass + (worthy Communion). - Regular spiritual direction or at least an accountability partner in the faith. 6. Embrace the “Do-Over” Mentality In Catholicism, every day (even every moment) is a new beginning. If you fail your resolution on January 3rd, you don’t wait until next year—you go to Confession and start again January 4th. This is the opposite of secular “all or nothing” thinking. 7. Classic Catholic Resolution Ideas (tried and loved for centuries) - Morning offering + 3 Hail Marys for purity every morning. - 15 minutes of mental prayer daily (Lectio Divina, Ignatian meditation, or simple “Jesus, I trust in You” repetition). - Monthly Confession and a personal rule of life. - Spiritual reading (10–15 min/day): Bible, Catechism, Introduction to the Devout Life, Story of a Soul, etc. - Friday penance (meat abstinence or another sacrifice) all year. - Daily examination of conscience at night (5 minutes). - One new devotion (First Saturdays, Sacred Heart enthronement, 54-day Rosary novena, etc.). 8. End with a Patron Saint for the Year A beautiful modern Catholic custom: On January 1st (or the feast of Mary, Mother of God), pray and randomly draw (or intentionally choose) a patron saint for the year. Ask his or her intercession for your resolutions. In short: A good Catholic New Year’s resolution isn’t about becoming a “better version of yourself.” It’s about becoming more like Christ, with the help of His grace and His Church, one small yes at a time.  “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16) is the only resolution that ultimately matters—and everything else flows from it.