The Gospel from Matthew proclaims “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’.” St. Paul introduces himself to the Romans, to whom he is writing in the second reading as “Paul…called to be an apostle, and set apart for the Gospel of God.”
That essentially sums up what and where we need to be as we complete our Advent preparations on this Fourth Sunday of Advent with Christmas fast approaching. We, too, are called to be Apostles — the Greek roots of the word “apostle” meant messenger. Thus, there are two important clues for us as stewards as to what Advent and Christmas mean to us personally.
First, is the Good News (Gospel) that God is with us (Emmanuel). The second is that we are called to be messengers of that Good News among all peoples. Christmas is not just a time for us to celebrate the birth of Christ, but it is a time for us to be renewed and to accept our calling to be those messengers, those disciples.
There are often a lot of good feelings at Christmas, but the best is the joy produced by the understanding that God loves us. We join with shepherds and wise men and angels proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill to all people.”

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

There is a reason that John the Baptist appears in our Gospel reading for this Second Sunday in Advent calling out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We might conclude, and not entirely in error, that the reference point is the imminent birth of Christ, the ultimate conclusion of Advent.

However, the meaning of this is much deeper and broader, something which needs to strike a chord in our hearts and in our lives of stewardship. Often we make reference to the fact that stewardship requires conversion. There are actually two accepted translations of μετανοέω/metanoeō, the original Greek word construed as “repent” which begins John the Baptist’s admonition. One is “repent” which is always good advice to us.

The other is “change.” Last week Jesus told us to wake up. This week John the Baptist is telling us to change. Advent is the time for us to come alive, but it is not just an occasion for action. It should also motivate us to alter the way we approach living — to seek ways to live out stewardship in service, in love, and in gratitude.

But, yes, it is a time to be penitent as well. It is a time to repent in the original sense of that word. St. John Chrysostom wrote eloquently on how to repent. He gave us five paths (terms) to lead us to repent: 1. Confession; 2. Forgiveness; 3. Prayer; 4. Almsgiving; 5. Humility. That is good advice for Advent.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

“The day is at hand.” (Romans 13:12) “Let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Isaiah 2:5) These two quotes — the first from Paul’s letter, our second reading, and the second from the prophetic Book of Isaiah (our first reading) — alert us to the fact that this season of Advent is more than just a time to get ready. It is a time to act.

Stewardship is an action word; it is an action concept. It is a reminder that the Lord did not call us to be just a follower; He called us to be a disciple. That means doing things, and this sacred season is a great time to begin doing, or to expand what we are doing, or to improve what we are doing.

The Latin word adventus from which we get the word Advent means “coming.” But who is coming? Of course, we all know the answer to that — Jesus, because we celebrate His birth in just a few short weeks. The Lord reminds us in today’s Gospel that it is not just Christmas we are talking about: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” When are we to awaken? Now! Why are we to awaken? Because it is time to be spiritually alive and spiritually aware. How do we put our spiritual lives in order? We are to “put on the armor of light.” Jesus is coming, and we must be prepared.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

“Amen, I say to you; today you will be with me in Paradise.” Are those not the words we all aspire to hear? Jesus reminds us throughout Holy Scripture that we must keep our stewardship focus on two points: Jesus Himself, and the fact that our lives lead to Eternity. It is these thrusts that should allow us to live existences of stewardship.

This Sunday is traditionally called Christ the King. Yes, we recognize Jesus’ Kingship over all the earth and all its peoples, but the Gospel points to the part of His dominion that cannot be matched by anyone else: He rules over death as well as over life. St. Catherine of Siena once said, “All the way to heaven is heaven, because Jesus said, ‘I am the way’.”

As we prepare for Advent, which begins next weekend, and as we end our liturgical year this week, we need to dedicate ourselves anew to being good stewards — to realizing that we are children of God, that Christ is our King, that we are gifted, and that we are called to share those gifts. We also need to join with the forgiven thief who was crucified next to Jesus and place our total trust in God. While we attempt to be disciples of the Lord, all we must utter is “Thank you, God” and “Lord, remember me.”

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Most theologians concur that Advent is a dual preparation, both for the birth of Christ but also for His Second Coming. All the readings for this last Sunday in Ordinary Time point toward preparation and Christ’s Second Coming (the Parousia or Second Advent).

Nevertheless, that can be complex and complicated, so let us concentrate on the simple exercise of preparation. If we practice stewardship, we understand that the Church, its Masses and liturgies, and its approach to organizing our faith lives are all intended to deepen our relationship with Christ. Stewardship is intended to lead us to serve others, but even more so it is a means to bring us closer to the Lord.

The reading from Malachi, Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, and Jesus’ words in the Temple from Luke’s Gospel all direct us to the idea of preparing ourselves spiritually. We all know that symbols of Christmas seem to appear earlier and earlier. Our stewardship lesson this week is to keep focused, to maintain our concentration on being good stewards and disciples of Christ, and to try to avoid getting too caught up in all the activity and adornments that come with the Advent/Christmas season, which of course is a detriment of our holy approach to this special time of year.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

What does it mean to hope in the Lord? The seven brothers and their mother who are featured in the first reading from 2 Maccabees both know and understand what it means. One of the brothers declares that everything he has received came from God, and he hopes to receive God’s blessings again. Another brother speaks of the “hope God gives of being raised up by Him.”

Living lives of stewardship is living lives of hope. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul speaks of the “good hope” we have of God’s grace. Paul reminds us that the Lord “will strengthen and guard you.” The hope we have in the Lord is what gives us the total trust in Him which allows us to live lives of stewardship.

Jesus encourages us to have hope in the living God in today’s Gospel. A stewardship approach to life exemplifies our confidence in God’s goodness and love. We are to take His love and spread it among those around us through sharing and service. Reaching out to others, knowing that we are strengthened by God, is a natural and fulfilling way to live. Good stewards are optimistic. As Helen Keller once said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Most of us have no trouble visualizing Zacchaeus, a short man who climbed the sycamore tree so he could see Jesus as the Lord passed. Zacchaeus was on the verge of something important, but he probably did not go up in the tree so Jesus would notice him; he climbed the tree because he was seeking Jesus.

Zacchaeus was wealthy; he was wealthy because he had over-collected taxes from the people. They hated him, but as Jesus reminds us all at the end of the Gospel passage, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Zacchaeus was not a good steward of his blessings.

Jesus was aware of that when he went to Zacchaeus’ home to be fed. Something important happened to Zacchaeus; he went through a conversion experience – an encounter with Christ, an event that changed his life. He began to share with special regard to the poor. He began to reach out to those whom he had mistreated. That’s what stewardship can do for us, too. We must undergo a transformation of mind and heart. Then we must reach out to God, to one another, and especially to those who are destitute, both spiritually and actually. As Blessed Mother Teresa once said, “Love is not patronizing, and charity isn’t about pity; it is about love.”

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