It’s All About the Kingdom
Through our stewardship, we allow our parish community to shine like a city on a hill for others to see and then be drawn toward Jesus Christ. It is about leading people to heaven. Our actions of stewardship do not point toward us but instead to the one who calls us to this life.
Don’t Hide Behind the Words
As Christians, we can find ourselves hiding behind our words. The world will only know whom it is we serve if we love like Jesus, we act like Jesus, and we serve others like Jesus. Our love should be an instrument of our evangelization. Our words must become true, not because we say them enough, but because they are true.
Nothing Can Take Us Away
We believe that worldly values, immorality, or evil itself can take us away from God’s love and protection. But there are few greater lies than this. The reality is that if we find ourselves far away from God, the only force that carried us away was our own choices.
Trusting and Listening
The stewardship way of life demands of us a certain maturity of discipleship. Just as a child is not yet ready to be a parent, an immature disciple may not yet be ready to sacrifice regardless of the cost or understand the true value of his generosity. We are growing not only in maturity, but in the ability to trust in God and how to listen for the call as well.
A Time to Reconcile
We build up walls of fear, doubt, resentment, anger, and pain, not allowing ourselves to forgive and be good stewards of what we have been given. There is no excuse for you and me to not be reconciled with God and accept this profound compassion. In turn, there is no excuse to not extend that mercy and reconcile with those who have hurt us.
Now What?
Each newly baptized man, woman, and child have become new creations in Jesus Christ. They have died and risen with the one who rose on the third day and whose empty tomb we celebrate every Easter. Easter Sunday morning, they awake after many months of RCIA and all have the same question before them: “Now what?”
We Find Him in the Cross
The power of this symbol has been diminished in popular culture. It is often used in fashion and simple wall art and on bumper stickers and T-shirts, sometimes with Christian clichés and sometimes not. But the cross is something so much more. It is a reminder of the pain, suffering, and death of one who loved us so much that he would give his very life for us.
Generosity: A Look in the Mirror
Stewardship begins with the person in the mirror. You and I are accountable to each other, but at the end of the day, the only one who knows the true level of our generosity is God. As this Lent draws to a close, it is time to take a good long look in the mirror.
Have You Truly Surrendered?
You give of yourself when you determine there is a real need. However, you haven’t intentionally worked toward surrendering all you are, all you have, and all you do to your God. It’s hard because when you compare yourself to others, you seem pretty good. Yet, there lies the problem.
Ripping Out the Weeds
As good stewards who are called to discern how we respond to the call of Jesus Christ, we must be about ripping those weeds out of our lives so the good seeds we plant can grow. For each of us, the weeds are different: money, ego, sex, greed, etc. If we don’t take a good honest look at our lives and make some tough choices, no amount of devotion or good works will make us better disciples.
Citizens of Heaven
Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” How many of us “citizens of heaven” take seriously the expectations and requirements of that citizenship? Sometimes we act like nothing is truly required of us.
This Lent, Give Up and Give In
During this Lenten season, like all the other seasons, we will be asked to respond in many different ways. Every calling upon us comes with a temptation to take the easy way out or to minimize the value of the request.