From the Pastor - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 9, 2022

Today’s readings focus on the personal, passionate, and merciful love of God which should fill us with unending gratitude to Him. This gratitude is the fuel, if you will, that keeps the stewardship way of life rolling along.


In our Second Reading, from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, we find a grateful Paul who says of himself, “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated.” St. Paul is well aware of the sins he has committed. But this does not hold him back from ministry. Rather, it makes him all the more grateful to be God’s steward. How encouraging to know that this is true for us as well. Our past sins, and even our present struggles, do not disqualify us from becoming God’s grateful stewards.


Jesus gives us several poignant illustrations of His merciful love in today’s Gospel reading from Luke. Let us focus on one, in particular — the story of the lost sheep. He asks, “What man among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine… and go after the lost one until he finds it?”

The logical response is no one! It simply does not make sense to spend time and energy searching for one lost sheep when there are so many others to tend to. But God’s logic, God’s mercy, defies human logic. And who is the lost one? It is every one of us when we stray away from God through sin, great or small.


What gratitude we owe to such a personal, passionate, loving God! Just think, even our sins, once forgiven, become a source of fuel for our stewardship way of life as we reflect with deep gratitude on the powerful mercy of our Savior. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2022


Pastoral Pondering

This morning at the All-School Mass, the offertory hymn was It is Well. This was one of my grandmother’s favorite hymns and, by her example, is one of my favorites as well. The refrain is very simple, “It is well, it is well, with my soul”. The gist of the hymn is that regardless of what we happen to be going through, we can always proclaim that it is well with my soul because we are united to Christ and His saving Cross.


At times, when we look around and see the craziness of the world in which we find ourselves, it is probably a good idea to be reminded that we are not alone. The Lord is with us. Sometimes we forget or take for granted, that the Lord is indeed with us. He is especially present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I reminded the children this morning that He never leaves us. Every time we visit the Church, the adoration chapel, or the school chapel, He is there!


Reminding ourselves of His presence is always a good idea, especially when the day is heavily burdened. A few moments of adoration or quiet prayer can help us to put everything in perspective and remember that it is well with my soul because I do not face this world without Divine assistance. “For God so loved the world that He gave his Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.”


A note about confessions – As you know, the priests of St. Mark have been committed for a number of years now, to offer frequent opportunities for the reception of the sacrament of Penance. This practice has been a blessing not only to our parish but to many who come from surrounding parishes to take advantage of the opportunity. With that being said, out of respect for the liturgy, we find it necessary to set some boundaries. In general, confessions are offered beginning 45 minutes before Mass and ending 30 minutes later. When two confessors are available, confessions are offered beyond this time. The priest-celebrant has prayers of preparation for Mass as well as simply vesting and getting ready for Mass to begin. Hence, please be conscious when the light goes off, confessions are over. When there are two confessors, the second confessor will end confessions at the end of the Liturgy of the Word (basically the end of the homily). With the exception of Wednesday evenings when confessions coincide with the evening Mass, everyone needs to be able to participate in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Please pay attention to the light above the confessional door. We appreciate your cooperation with this and ask that you plan accordingly.


From the Pastor

From the Pastor - First Sunday of Advent

By John Putnam • December 2, 2025
Today we begin the beautiful season of Advent — a season of preparation. For what are we preparing? The celebration of the birth of our Savior, and the anticipation of His second coming. These are weighty tasks with eternal consequences. So, let us as Christian stewards make the words of the Prophet Isaiah our motto for the season: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways and we may walk in his paths.” In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it seems everywhere we turn we are pushed to spend more, do more, entertain more, and generally rush around at a frantic pace — all to create a “perfect” Christmas day. In contrast to this worldly pressure, the Church’s guidance to use these weeks as a time to focus on our spiritual lives can indeed seem like a mountain climb. But the intentional and wise use of the gift of time is exactly what the Christian steward is called to do, and with even greater intensity during Advent. How can we use our time to prepare for a holy celebration of Jesus’ birth on Dec. 25 and for his second coming at a date we do not know? We can push back against the world’s pressure to have the “perfect Christmas.” Scale back on the material kind of gift-giving, the complicated menus, the unessential trappings of the season so that we have more time for the spiritual preparations: Confession, weekday Mass, adoration, family prayer time, lighting the Advent wreath, acts of kindness. It may feel like a mountain climb, but in the end, we will be prepared to celebrate a truly meaningful Christmas, we will have become more like our Savior, and we will be ready for Him to come again. Let’s go climb the Lord’s mountain! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 From the Pastor Advent brings a time of new beginning. A new liturgical year is upon us, but it is also a time to prepare our hearts for something – for the coming of the Lord. The first weeks of Advent focus on the Lord’s coming at the end of time, and the latter weeks of Advent focus on preparing to celebrate His coming at the Nativity. Both, however, are interconnected. The first coming of the Lord facilitates His coming into our hearts, which, in the end, facilitates His second coming to judge the living and the dead. The “in between” of these two comings is where time and eternity come together. We are called to live each day in expectation of His coming. We are called to hope for His coming and to expect it even when it seems long delayed. It is in this expectation that we must learn to live our lives. Daily life is messy and unpredictable. We must deal with disappointments, sickness and loss. Yet, we do so as people of hope who know that in these crosses, there lies ultimate joy because of the love of the Father who sent his Son to love us to the end. As we begin a new journey in a new liturgical year, let us do so with joyful expectation. Knowing that the end of the journey, if we are faithful, is paradise.

From the Pastor - Solemnity of Christ the King

By John Putnam • November 21, 2025
On this Feast of Christ the King, our readings show us that we serve the greatest of Kings, who is at the same time the humblest of Kings. Christ is the perfect model of servant leadership. And what an indescribable privilege that He has called us to be servant leaders — stewards in the work of advancing His Kingdom. In our second reading, from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Paul describes the great power and dignity that characterize Christ the King. “All things were created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together.” It makes you want to stand up and cheer. That’s our King! Yet, what a contrasting description of the same King we find in our Gospel passage, from Luke. Now we see our King nailed to the Cross. Everyone from rulers to soldiers, to the criminals on either side of Christ is mocking, sneering, and reviling him. They tauntingly urge him to prove His kingship by coming down from the Cross to end his suffering with a great show of power. “if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” But He does not. Amazingly, it is in this moment of seeming-weakness and humiliation, when all appears hopeless and lost, that the full breadth of his greatness as king is displayed. Though all things were created through and for Him — Christ chooses to live entirely for others, for us! What does this mean for us as his followers and stewards of His kingdom? It is precisely that our lives are not about us. They are about Christ and others. And we will advance his kingdom to the extent that we embrace this mindset: my life is not about me; it is about serving the King of kings. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025