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December, 2009 | Download A Stewardship Reflection for December CONCEPT The Pastoral Letter on Stewardship calls us to be “mature disciples who make a conscious decision to follow Jesus no matter what the cost.” One hallmark of mature disciples is coming to the realization that we can never have it all or do it all – and create a plan for what we do want to have and accomplish. But before we can create that plan, we need to do some discernment about what God would like us to have and accomplish.
November, 2009 | Download A Stewardship Reflection for November
During the month of November we express our gratitude for the saints, witnesses to the Gospel who challenge us to find our own path to holiness. We are grateful for the lives of all who have gone before us to meet the Lord, especially those we know and hold dear. We thank our veterans who have offered their lives on our behalf. And of course, in the United States, there is Thanksgiving Day, a holiday that is all about gratitude. The month of November is an ideal time of the year to focus our spiritual lives more intently on being grateful for the blessings of the Lord. Sacred scripture is a good place to start because it is filled with the themes of thanksgiving and gratitude. The psalmist sings: “Give thanks to God, bless his name”
Pray with gratitude. Set aside some time for prayer each day. If you are new to the habit of daily prayer, find 10 minutes in your daily schedule. Pray as a family as well. And begin with a prayer of gratitude. Put gratitude into action. Do something in your parish or neighborhood to share your material blessings with those who might otherwise go hungry. Contribute to a food bank or help deliver food baskets. Make gratitude a habit. Find ways to thank others for their generosity and kindness toward you every day. The late Catholic spiritual writer, Thomas Merton, once wrote that to be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything. Let us use the month of November as an opportunity to grow in stewardship which, simply put, means living a life of gratitude. And as the psalmist encourages us to do: “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1).
October, 2009 | Download Glory and Thankfulness – Hallmarks of Stewardship
Every day gives new opportunities to show that we choose to live as one of Christ’s disciples. Our expressions can show that we have listened to the Gospel messages, have received God’s gifts gratefully, are nurturing our gifts responsibly, sharing them justly and generously and returning each with gratitude through our daily living. October 4 Respect Life Sunday – Stewardship demonstrates respect for God’s creation. Be aware of the many educational opportunities, prayer services, public witness events and programs to raise funds for those in need that are hosted in your diocese throughout the month of October to help build a culture of respect and defense for every human life. Each person is called to demonstrate reverence for human life through his/ her own special and unique gifts of creation. October 18 World Mission Sunday - Organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, World Mission Sunday is an important day in the life of the Church because it reminds Catholics worldwide about the importance of giving: “…as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration” and for the missionary activity of the Church (see Redemptoris Missio 81). We are reminded, as stewards and disciples, that it is the Lord through His universal Church, who we are called to serve - with the same love that He gives to each of us. October 25 World Priest Day - This Sunday we celebrate the men who have exercised a unique stewardship of their lives by entrusting them to the Lord as priests. It is an opportunity for Catholics to thank, affirm and share their love and support for priests. Started by the Worldwide Marriage Encounter community, it is joined with the Serra Club’s celebration of Priesthood Sunday today. Throughout this year, dedicated as the Year for Priests, we can pray for vocations, and encourage those who might respond to this unique call. We can also respond to our own baptismal call by working collaboratively with our priests to build up the Kingdom of God. October 31 “All Hallows Eve” – In the annual rhythm of the Church’s life of prayer and worship, the Solemnity of All Saints begins with Mass on Saturday afternoon, October 31, as well as Evening Prayer I in the Liturgy of the Hours. We rejoice in those who celebrate the heavenly banquet with Jesus Christ and we recall the Church’s rich tradition of faith-filled stewards. Keep “All Hallows Eve” from becoming “hollow” by celebrating the Christian connection to Halloween and the positive messages that stem from the holiday for the benefit of ourselves and the spiritual formation of our children. Celebrate this day as a Catholic heritage of faith.
September, 2009 | Download Glory and Thankfulness – Hallmarks of Stewardship
We mortals witness divine glory in nature, in the order of things, in the beauty surrounding us, in the creation of our bodies, soul and intellect. God gives us the sky and the landscapes, the body and the spirit as gift, just as He gave us Jesus, His son. The glory of God is present in all. Human glory, being held in high esteem among others for our character, good works, position, etc., is a positive motivator for us. With the humble recognition that God is the source of our achievements, His glory shines through in our gratitude, our thankfulness.
Why did God put these words and thoughts in my heart? What purpose will come from reflecting on them? Glory - the divinity of God. Thankfulness - my bended knee. Perhaps it is simply so I can give hope to others as a good steward of all that God has given me. My friend is right in saying there is little in the news about being thankful. We hear of and are affected by job losses, war, terrorist threats, and the injuries human beings impose on each other. Our fears rise and our hopes diminish. But when we we place ourselves humbly in the glory of God, our fears diminish. When we kneel in thankfulness for the gifts we have received, our hopes tend to rise. With God as our source, our manna, our truth, we are equipped with everything we need to be His face and hands and feet to serve others; to be part of His glory in a spirit of thankfulness.
August, 2009 | Download
In God We Trust
Nowadays our choices seem to become more limited and decisions about those economic choices become more difficult to make. We begin to feel a loss of control over what happens in our lives. We may lose our jobs, have our work hours reduced or our pay cut back. However, how we deal with a reduction of income or even a job loss speaks volumes about whether or not we really trust in God, and therefore exercise good stewardship over our lives of faith.
Jesus told his apostles not to worry about their lives (Mt. 7:25). He reminds them that their heavenly Father knows what they need (Mt. 7:32). Sometimes these words of Jesus appear to be small consolation in times of financial stress. Stewardship teaches, however, that God will provide for those who love him. The challenge becomes letting go of making decisions that give top priority to our own self-interests and making conscious choices to place our absolute trust in God. If we live in constant anxiety, we are prone to make decisions that only serve ourselves. We may choose not to be as generous with others as we did when we were not feeling financial pressures. We may believe it to be in our best interest to stop being as generous as we had been to the Lord, through our community of faith. We are faced with the temptation to take care of what we perceive to be our own best interest instead of expressing our trust and gratitude to the Lord. Jesus urges his followers to seek the Kingdom of God first, before all else, and all their needs will be met (Mt. 6:33). If we recognize that God is the source of all we have and are to receive, even in these challenging economic times, it will offer us a different perspective on the choices we make and give us the courage to continue living lives of generosity toward God and our neighbors.
July, 2009 | Download
Taking a “Trust Walk” with God
If we really think about it, each of us is on a “trust walk” with God, every moment, every step of our lives. When we follow Christ and learn to make decisions based on Jesus’ instruction, our lives are filled with depth and fullness. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we come to trust that God, who has given us our very lives, who we are, and what we have, will continue to provide all we need to live in holiness. As long as we follow our guide, all will be well. Trust will provide the bond that allows us to journey with God in love. A disciple is one who is learning the ways of a master teacher. Our master teacher is Jesus Christ, whose very life is the lesson we will learn throughout our lives. We look to Christ as our model and “see” the fullness of what it means to live for God and to live for others. Each step along the way, we meet challenges and joys, making choices and decisions based upon our understanding of the Master’s way. The choices may be simple, yet often they are profound. Looking to Christ as the mirror of our heart’s desire, we learn to live as image and likeness of God, to be our very self. We consider how we can best reflect Christ’s love through our prayer, our presence, by sharing our gifts and offering service to others. Summer can be a great time of the year in which to step back and reflect on our journey with Christ who is the way. Each of us has been particularly blessed with talents and abilities, material and financial resources, time, life itself. Following Jesus as a disciple calls us to always be seeking ways to offer back to God what we have been given in abundance, as good and faithful, trusting stewards.
June, 2009 | Download
Hospitality and the Stewardship Parish
May, 2009 | Download
On The Spiritual Journey – In the Easter Season
When he says, “follow me”, he is offering us the chance of a lifetime. Drop your nets – whatever it is that scoops you up and catches you in its clutches – and begin this great adventure of awakening the Spirit of God in those you meet. Come walk the dusty roads, come knock on doors, come offer light to all. There is a stirring in our souls that yearns to be called, to be inspired, to throw out all the useless stuff we have gathered and time we have wasted and say “Yes” to Christ. “Yes, I will come and follow you. I am done possessing. I am finished with time. Come and fill my anxious, tired heart. Let me give as you have.” It is with this pulse inside us that we become one with Jesus, that we have a glimmer of understanding of his sacrifice at the cross. Filled with the love of the Holy Spirit we too have the burning need to offer ourselves – our wills, dreams and lives - up to God for His use. This is the glory of being called; this is the meaning of being a disciple; this is the way of a steward. God’s response to our prayers never waivers, whether His response is to Moses, Daniel, Mary, or you or me. God calls us each and every one to complete the mission for which we were created. “Being sent on a mission is a consequence of being a disciple,” is the truth the United States bishops state in their pastoral letter on stewardship (Stewardship A Disciple’s Response. p. 16). Do not be afraid. God prepares us ahead of time for the journey, so we needn’t be afraid. In his Gospel, Mark recounts the apostles finding themselves on the boat with Jesus when a “great windstorm arose.” Of course, we know the story of Jesus waking up and calming the sea. He turns to the men and asks them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” Jesus’ message is clear. “You are under my protection” (Mark 4:35-41). We will receive the courage and strength to succeed. When we submit our will to Him, God prepares us, strengthens us, and gives us the fortitude to succeed. Jesus promises to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit to inspire and strengthen us. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever” (John 14:16). Let this Easter be the season that we walk away from the nets that hold us in fear and comfort. Let this be the glorious Easter season that we fully respond to Jesus’ call to follow him. Let this be the season we pray for understanding, courage and strength. Let this be the season for us to we act.
And so I pray:
April, 2009 | Download Stewardship and the Season of Lent
Stewards of God’s abundant gifts hold dear the promise of renewal and pledge themselves to the work of reconciliation, healing and proclamation of the risen Lord. For Christian stewards, each day is a new dawn for living in the light of Christ. There is much about dying and rising with Christ that we do not know; much about the Paschal Mystery we do not understand. But stewards of God’s love are always open to learning more; to being called out of their ignorance and into the light of faith which comes with an ever-deeper understanding of its peace and joy Easter is a good time to reflect on how we experience the joy of Christ’s peace. It is also a time to ask ourselves how we can experience the gift of Easter each day of our lives.
March, 2009 | Download Stewardship and the Season of Lent
In his annual Lenten message, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, made clear that fasting from food and detaching oneself from material goods during Lent helps us open our hearts to God and our hands to the poor. “Fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live.” Lent is also a time to practice almsgiving; to renounce those conveniences and material comforts that keep us from hearing the cries of a fragile world and find creative ways to respond to the poor. Almsgiving brings together love for God and love for neighbor. As we begin this season of Lent, let us make a concrete commitment to prayer, fasting and acts of generosity. Let us pray for the wisdom and strength to let go of things that get in the way of our relationship with God; for a strengthening of faith; and for the grace to see that the poor of the world are not strangers, but are our sisters and brothers. A Stewardship Saint for March: Saint Turibius on Mongrovejo
St. Turibius was born in 1538 to an affluent family of the Spanish nobility. He was highly educated; a professor of law at the renowned University of Salamanca in Spain. He was ordained a priest in 1578 at age 40 and sent to Peru to become the archbishop of Lima in May 1579. Reportedly, St. Turibius baptized a half million people; among them were St.Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres. He is also responsible for building many roads, schools, churches and hospitals in Peru. In 1591, he established the first seminary in the Western hemisphere in Lima. He was responsible for a new catechism in Spanish and two local native dialects. Promoting social justice was a major concern of St. Turibius. He devoted himself to serving the poor and championing the rights of indigenous peoples against the oppressive rule of civil authorities. The governors of Peru mounted continued opposition to the archbishop because of his challenges to their injustices. The Archdiocese of Lima was 180,000 square miles, (by comparison, the state of California is 164,000 square miles). He traveled the length and breadth of the archdiocese three times, mostly on foot and often alone, exposed to the tropical elements and without protection against hostile tribes and animals of prey. On one of his missionary journeys, he contracted a fever. He died on March 23, 1606. He was canonized in 1726.
February, 2009 | Download February and Stewardship of the Sick The month of February offers us reminders of the healing presence of the Lord in our midst and our call as stewards of our sisters and brothers to do what we can, according to our gifts, to help end suffering in our world today. On the Feast of Saint Blaise, February 3, we celebrate the traditional Blessing of the Throats; a blessing that, through the intercession of the Saint Blaise, asks the Lord that we be delivered from every disease of the throat and every other illness. On February 11 we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. We are reminded of that renowned pilgrimage site in southern France, destination of pilgrims from all over the world who seek its healing waters. Pope John Paul II designated this date as World Day of the Sick. The late pontiff wrote that this should be a special day of prayer for those who suffer from illness of every kind and that we should be especially conscious to see the face of Christ in all who are sick, and being mindful that it was Christ who by his suffering and death brought redemption to the world.
January, 2009 | Download Advent – A Season of Hope The promise of Christmas is always followed by the promise of a new year; a time for new beginnings and resolutions aimed at changes for the better. In some respects, this new year may not seem so promising given the challenges that lie ahead; the most striking of course is living in economic uncertainty in the coming year. While governments around the world are trying to find solutions to the current global economic crisis, many are left to wonder about their present or future job security, the status of retirement savings, or the adequacy of health care coverage. Many others must face more dire challenges such as the lack of resources to provide food, shelter, or heating for themselves and their families. The start of a new year is a good time to reflect on the promises of Christ and the hope offered by the prophet Isaiah in the first Sunday scripture reading for the new year:
As a people of faith we profess to live in hope that Jesus Christ is among us; our Savior who is calling us even more urgently in these anxious times. He invites us to come closer, and to know his strength and consolation. We have lived through economic downturns before. And although many economic forecasters tell us that this time the forecasts look dimmer, we can imitate St. Paul and look upon anxious times as opportunities to be better stewards of our relationship with the Lord. Perhaps it is also time to adopt a simpler lifestyle; to remember to give God thanks for at least one thing each and every day; to better appreciate the virtue of community; and to open our hearts even more compassionately to those in need. As we face the coming year with all its challenges, let us remember each day to turn to Christ, our promise and our hope. Let us discover new ways in which to experience the light of Christ shining on us and let that light shine through us, so we may offer hope to others.
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The eleventh month is now upon us, drawing us closer to the
end of the calendar year. It is a transition month, a month
between autumn and winter, when the leaves get raked, and
the crops have been harvested. We “fall back” from Daylight
Savings Time and revert to Standard Time. Most of us
prepare for rain, snow and winter storms. It is also a month
that reminds us to be grateful which is so fundamental to
Christian stewardship.
Jesus calls us to follow. The Christian vocation represents a call to be a disciple of Christ. Receiving our commissioned
summons in Baptism and Confirmation, we can focus on listening and for Christ’s personal calls throughout our
lifetime. We respond through our spiritual formation and stewardship expressions.
“Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth” is the phrase that
stayed with me from Mass a few weeks ago. Afterwards, a friend standing next to me
in the coffee line at the parish center remarked that we rarely read of thankfulness in
the newspaper. The words, “glory” and “thankfulness” set the tone for my week.
The words on the back of United States currency and on coinage are good words to
live by: “In God We Trust.” However, during these tough economic times these words
are often forgotten. Perhaps now is the time to rediscover these words through our
prayer and actions.
Have you ever taken a “trust walk” so popular in team-building workshops and leadership
seminars? One person is blindfolded, simulating loss of sight. The “blind” person
is dependent upon a companion who acts as guide in order to reach his or her
destination. At times, the “blind” person holds onto the guide for direction. At other
times the guide calls the person, providing insight into the moment’s situation and
giving essential instruction. As long as the “blind” person follows her or his guide, all
is well. Trust provides the bond that allows both to journey together as companions.
There is much talk in stewardship circles
about how the practice of hospitality is
part of the nature of being a stewardship
parish. Hospitality does not simply mean
providing coffee and donuts or selling
breakfast tacos after Mass although welcoming
strangers and fellow worshippers
in this manner is an ideal way to exercise
hospitality. A foundational aspect of hospitality
includes greeting and treating all
who enter the door of the church, rectory,
parish office, classroom, or who call on
the phone, with a genuine spirit of compassion
and love; to receive others as
Christ would receive them. It should not matter if the visitor or caller is the bishop or
a beggar. Those who come to the parish door or call the parish should be able to see
the love of God in those who represent the parish; through their words, actions and,
indeed, their very presence. Hospitality is not just the job of the ministers of hospitality
or ushers. It is the obligation of every one associated with the parish, from the pastor
to the groundskeeper to the parishioners who worship and give of their time at the
parish. It is important for a parish community that considers itself a stewardship parish
to reflect periodically on what it means to welcome each parishioner and visitor, be
they strangers or not, as Christ would welcome them.
You never know where life will
take you, how one opportunity
or one decision will change the
course you are on and render
obsolete the singular vision you
have adopted as the path to fulfill
your purpose. This is the way
of Jesus.
We are an Easter people. The joy of Easter is
celebrated not only during the liturgical season
we call Easter. It is celebrated every day
of the year. The Mass is the Paschal Mystery,
and every time it is celebrated, we participate
in the sacrifice, death and resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ. As St. Paul teaches, we die
with Christ and rise with Him in the Holy
Spirit. We are transformed into new creations.
We are renewed.
Lent is a special season for the Christian steward to center attention on conversion,
one of the first principles of Christian stewardship. It is a time when
conversion finds practical expression in prayer, fasting and developing habits of
greater generosity. In the current financial crisis, with rising unemployment, and
a deepening global recession, the Lenten season invites stewards to focus more
intensely on their relationship with the Lord and cultivate a greater awareness
of those in need. It is because we live in such an increasingly interconnected
world, that the poor and vulnerable suffer the worst during these times.
Saint Turibius of Mongrovejo is the patron saint of
Peru. He was the archbishop of Lima from 1579
to 1606, and it is because of his missionary work
and commitment to social justice as archbishop
that he has been a popular saint in Latin America
for over three centuries. He had a favorite
stewardship message which he used often in his
teaching and preaching: Time is not our own, and
we must give a strict account of it.
February also brings us Gospel stories of the healing ministry of Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed in
the Sunday liturgies. Jesus heals the man with the unclean spirit (Mk 1:25), Simon Peter’s mother-in-
law and others (Mk 1:31-34), the leper (Mk 1:41), and the man afflicted with paralysis (Mk 2:11).
The Gospel reveals how Jesus’ healing ministry was one aspect of the Good News of His Father’s redemptive
love. As the Gospel teaches, we are stewards of our sisters and brothers. The month of February is
an appropriate time to reflect on how we respond to Christ’s call to live compassionately and use
our gifts to heal a suffering world and proclaim God’s redemptive healing, mercy and love.