From the Pastor's Desk - August 3, 2025

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

In this Sunday’s first reading Qoheleth laments, “For what profit comes to a man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun? All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest.” The technological revolution of the past century has promised us too much: things will get done more efficiently and with less stress, so our lives will be more leisurely and carefree. Yet, many have noted the opposite effect. Even with all of our technological advances, or rather, because of them, our lives are more stressful, harried and workcentered. A recent study revealed that Washington, DC has the worst traffic in the country. A return trip from Fairfax to Gaithersburg last month took me two hours! Many of our immigrant families can attest that leisure is much more a part of their lives in their home countries than here. Shouldn’t it be the opposite, because we possess so many technological advances? Have smart phones really made our lives more stress free? Overwhelmingly, the evidence points to technology heightening our stress and sense of being “always on.”

In 1952 a famous Catholic philosopher, Josef Pieper, argued that leisure is the basis of culture. He warned of the “total work” mentality which was already enveloping the developed world. By leisure, Pieper wasn’t referring to lazily sitting around watching Netflix. Leisure is the restful activity that actually rejuvenates us. The worship of God, time spent with family and friends, the pursuing of a hobby can all be forms of rejuvenating leisure. As more people abandon organized religion, live in isolation, and spend their free time on smart phones and computers, work and productivity fill the void. Yet, in all this we are not rejuvenated but filled with “anxiety of heart.” This Sunday’s readings reveal the culprit for our current malaise: greed. The more we desire this world’s goods selfishly, the less at peace we are. Let us store up treasures in heaven, which neither rust corrodes nor moths destroy. Then we will know peace.

We have just repainted the parking lot, and what should easily stand out are the bright yellow lines. These indicate areas that are fire lanes where you can’t park. Please respect the regulations of our parking lot and of city ordinances! I know that our lot is not big enough, and hopefully I can soon reveal a plan for making it much larger. Until that time, though, please know that there is more than sufficient parking around the church: Summit Ave. (on Sundays), City Hall (weekends), Fr. Meyer Field, the old police station parking lot, the city garage, and the lot off Olde Towne Ave. behind the brewery and coffee shop.

In Christ,

Fr. Dave