From the Pastor - 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 31, 2026
Today’s Gospel passage from Matthew contains several parables that offer both challenge and encouragement to the Christian steward as Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven and our role in helping to build it.
First, He compares the Kingdom to a field where both wheat and weeds grow together until the harvest. Only then are they separated — the wheat gathered into the sower’s barn and the weeds destroyed. It is a sobering reminder that our choices matter and that God, in His justice, will one day call each of us to account for how we have lived and used the gifts He has entrusted to us.
But Jesus also offers great encouragement. He compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, which grows into a large plant. He also compares it to a small amount of yeast that quietly transforms an entire batch of dough.
These images are especially consoling for Christian stewards. So often, the prayers we pray, the service we offer, and the gifts we share can seem small compared to the needs around us. Yet Jesus reminds us that God works powerfully through even the smallest acts of faithfulness.
God sees and treasures our offerings of time, talent, and treasure. When placed in His hands, they can bear far more fruit than we could ever imagine.
In gratitude for all He has given us, let us remain faithful to the mission entrusted to our care for the building of His Kingdom. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026.
Pastoral Pondering
The Catholic Church teaches that lying is always wrong and intrinsically evil, as it offends against the truth, which is rooted in the nature of God Himself (who is Truth, cf. John 14:6). This is a consistent teaching drawn from Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium, particularly articulated in the *Catechism of the Catholic Church* (CCC).
Official Definition from the Catechism
- CCC 2482: “A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.” (Quoting St. Augustine.)
- CCC 2483: “Lying is the most direct offense against the truth. To lie is to speak or act against the truth in order to lead someone into error. By injuring man’s relation to truth and to his neighbor, a lie offends against the fundamental relation of man and of his word to the Lord.”
Lying profanes speech, whose natural purpose is to communicate truth. It is condemned by its very nature (CCC 2485), and no good intention or end can justify it—evil may not be done so that good may come of it.
Gravity of Lies
The seriousness of a lie varies:
- It is measured by the nature of the truth deformed, the circumstances, the intentions of the liar, and the harm caused to victims (CCC 2484).
- A lie can be venial or mortal sin. It becomes mortal if it gravely injures justice or charity (e.g., false witness in court, lies causing significant harm, or deception with potentially deadly consequences).
Biblical and Theological Roots
- Scripture strongly condemns lying: e.g., the Eighth Commandment (“You shall not bear false witness,” Exodus 20:16), Psalms 5:6, Proverbs 12:22, and Jesus calling the devil “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
- Church Fathers like St. Augustine wrote extensively against lying (even “white lies” or lies to save a life), and this has been the dominant tradition, upheld by St. Thomas Aquinas and the Magisterium. While some historical discussions exist (e.g., distinctions between injurious, officious, or jocose lies), the Church holds that lying is always contrary to the virtue of truthfulness.
Common Questions and Nuances
- “White lies” or lies to spare feelings? Still wrong, though lesser in gravity if they cause little harm. Better to use prudence, silence, or evasive but truthful speech.
- Lying to save a life (e.g., Nazis at the door)? The Church’s teaching is that lying remains sinful; alternatives like mental reservation, broad statements, or silence are preferred where possible. The good end does not justify the means.
- Mental reservation or broad mental reservation: In some moral theology traditions, one may use ambiguous speech that is true in a certain sense (e.g., when the listener has no right to the truth), but this must not cross into actual falsehood. The Catechism’s emphasis is on communicating truth.
- Jokes or fiction: Obvious jokes or storytelling (where no one is expected to take it as literal truth) are generally not lies.
Practical Pastoral Advice
Christians are called to be people of truth, reflecting Christ. Repentance, confession, and striving for veracity build trust and communion.
From the Pastor
Today's Gospel from Matthew reminds us to trust the Lord even when it seems He is not answering our prayers. God desires to lead us to the joy of heaven and eternal life with Him. To prepare us for that day, He calls us to grow in faith and to live each day as a grateful response to His goodness. In other words, He is forming us into saints. This is what the stewardship way of life is meant to accomplish. At times that process is difficult. Often, it stretches us beyond our comfort. Jesus certainly challenged the Canaanite woman in today's Gospel. She cried out to Him on behalf of her daughter, who was tormented by a demon. How did Jesus respond to this desperate mother's plea? At first, He "did not say a word in answer to her." Undeterred, she continued to seek Him, and He continued to test her faith. She responded with such remarkable trust that Jesus proclaimed, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." Imagine hearing those words spoken to us by our Lord. There could be no greater affirmation of a life lived in faithful discipleship. The stewardship way of life will test our trust in God at times. But those are often the moments when He is doing His greatest work within us. Let us persevere in faith, trusting that His plan is always leading us toward the joy He has prepared for us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026. Pastoral Pondering As the school year begins and we move into the post-summer routine, I wanted to give you an update on a few things which may be of interest to you. Building projects The rectory build is going well. Grainda Builders are projecting the project to finish by November (I am hoping for earlier!). We do plan to have an open house so that folks can see the new rectory upon its completion. The preliminary work for the second phase of our building projects is occurring with the installation of the water lines that will feed the new buildings. This will hopefully be done by Labor Day. We should be able to hold a groundbreaking shortly after the first of the year. Everything depends on when the present rectory sells and where we are with funding. The Diocese requires 60% of the project to be in cash, 30% to be in pledges and 30% allowable for Diocesan loan. We will keep you posted. Obviously, as we move forward, there will be growing pains that cannot be avoided due to the disruption of some parking. We are working with the general contractor to keep disruptions to a minimum, but we cannot avoid all of them. Thank you for your patience. Church Maintenance As many of you know, we have been battling issues with the church roof for some time. There have been numerous leaks over the years that have been patched and patched again. We have been battling the insurance company for over a year, and it is clear that, after a minimal payment to repair water damage, they are not going to approve a claim for roof replacement. Kudos to the Pastoral Council and Scott Bruno for making a significant investment of time and energy to try to do the groundwork to provide justification for the claim. With that being said, we have already replaced a portion of the roof that was causing significant problems (the lower roof closest to the driveway). Nonetheless, the whole roof really does need to be replaced. Estimates for replacement are in the neighborhood of $250K. At present with the other projects going on, we do not have this in reserves or the operating account to cover this expense. Should you wish to assist, donations can be made on the website. We will continue to monitor and do what we can to manage the problem until we are able to fully address it. The second significant issue that has arisen is the foundation of the Kerin Center. Over the last several years, due to water and drainage issues, we have had to address foundation instability. Reinforcements were added a couple of years back to the school-side of the building, but we have been seeing some issues on the church-side of the building over the past year. We are watching it very carefully and trying to ascertain the root cause of the problems. We are appreciative of those parishioners with engineering expertise who have assisted in this effort. There is also a link on the parish donation website for Kerin Center repairs.
Stewardship spirituality invites us to surrender control of our lives to God in grateful recognition that everything we have is a gift from Him. Today's readings remind us that God is always in control of His creation and His people. They also reveal what can happen when we fully entrust our lives to Him — in other words, when we embrace the stewardship way of life. When we take our eyes off God, we lose sight of the fact that all is gift. We begin to rely on ourselves instead of trusting in Him, and we fail to make our lives a grateful response to His generosity. Peter experiences this in today's Gospel from Matthew. Jesus sends the disciples ahead of Him by boat. Later that evening, Jesus comes to them, walking on the water, and invites Peter to join Him. Peter steps out of the boat and begins walking toward the Lord. But when he notices the strong wind around him, instead of keeping his eyes on Christ, he begins to sink. Imagine if Peter had never looked away from Jesus. What an extraordinary adventure he would have experienced walking on the water with his Lord. The same is true for us. When we take our eyes off Christ, His countless blessings, and His faithful love for us, we begin to sink as well. But when we embrace the stewardship way of life, loosening our grip on our time, talents, and treasure and placing our trust in God, life becomes a great adventure rooted firmly in the One who never fails us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026. Pastoral Pondering First of all I want to thank all who participated in our meal packing effort last Friday and Saturday. What a gift it is to be able to come together as a community and unite for the sake of our brothers and sisters in need. These events cannot happen without the efforts of numerous people. To each of you who made it possible, THANK YOU! As we move into August and our lives begin reorienting from lazier summer months towards fall, it is an opportunity to reflect on the blessings that we were afforded to rest, refresh, and renew during these past weeks. Hopefully, family were able to spend some quality time with each other without the demands of school, work and the day to day demands that impact many of us. For me, I was privileged once again to participate in the Te Deum Peace Pilgrimage to Fatima. This year we were able to invite and sponsor nine (9) seminarians from various dioceses including Charlotte, NC; Charleston, SC; Cleveland, OH; and Youngstown, OH. They along with a wonderful group of non-seminarian pilgrims were able to grow in our love for the Lord and Our Lady. It was a true blessing, and I was so impressed with the seminarians who were a part of our pilgrimage family for our time in Portugal and Spain. Along the same lines, please pray for parishioner Mark Pressley who is entering St. Joseph College Seminary. Mark’s family has been a part of the parish for many years. Keep him and the other nine (9) young men who are beginning their formation this fall.