Category: Neighbourhoods

CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

On this, First Sunday of Lent, we are called to continue our 40-day Lenten journey with most of it before us. For us it is 40 days of preparation for the Resurrection of the Lord, during which we are called to prepare through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Traditionally, we, as Catholics have tended to focus on the denial aspects of Lent — that is, we give things up; we make an effort to make sacrifices, particularly in the area of foods, to give ourselves a sense that Lent is a time when we need to show these signs to God that we are willing to avoid things we like as a tribute to the Lenten season — to the fact that Jesus made the supreme sacrifice for us.

However, in recent years, even though these kinds of self-denial are important, it is equally essential that we make active efforts to deepen our faith, to gain a greater understanding of what it means to truly believe.

From a stewardship outlook, every day is filled with temptation. There is the temptation to view our many gifts as ours, not God’s. While we are tempted to share what we see as feasible after we have met our own needs and wants, we should be focusing on sharing our first fruits.

Jesus was confident in His Father; He trusted Him and was thus able to resist the temptations presented Him by the devil. We need to develop that same kind of trust. The last sentence of the Gospel makes it clear that the devil is not done with the Lord, nor with us: “And when the devil had tried every temptation, he departed from him for a while.” It is “the while” against which we need to be prepared.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Each of the readings for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time makes reference to people being “called.” Of course, each of us is called by God to be a disciple. The challenge for us is to hear that call, understand it, and then to respond to it with action.
The first reading from Isaiah reminds us of a hymn based upon that reading most Catholics have sung and heard for the past few decades — “Here I am Lord.” The hymn portrays Isaiah’s response to God calling him. The lyrics in the refrain, known to many, are “Here I am Lord. It is I lord. I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, where you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.”
The Gospel from Luke is a story known popularly — of how Jesus told Peter and James and John to go out in Peter’s boat and fish again, even though they had caught nothing previously. The catch was enormous and it was a changing point in the vocations of those men. They were fishermen, and had probably been fishermen since they were boys. Fishing was their vocation, but Jesus called them to something higher — to be “fishers of men,” and they responded by changing vocations from fishermen to apostles — messengers.
Some of us, like Isaiah, are called to vocations of discipleship which function parallel to our life’s vocation, our jobs. Others, like Peter, are called to lifetime vocations — holy orders. The point is not which vocation we follow — it is that as good stewards we recognize we have a vocation — a role — in building the Kingdom of God. Are we prepared and are we responding in the way we should?  “Here I am Lord… I will go, Lord, where you lead me.”

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

The readings for this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time are so rich in content and include some of the most quoted passages, sentences, and phrases in all of scripture.
Jeremiah means “Yahweh” — God. The particular passage, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jer 1:4), reminds us that God has a plan for each of us, and He has known it from before we were conceived. Our challenge as stewards is to discern that plan as best we can, and to follow it.
Of, course, the second reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is also very familiar. It is a definition of what good and holy love is in its purest form. “So faith, hope, and love remain, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13)
Luke’s Gospel recounts Jesus speaking in the temple in Nazareth. As is the case with the other two readings, one of the most quoted sentences in scripture is part of this passage: “No prophet is accepted in his own native place.” The key is how Jesus responds to the rejection by his friends and neighbors. He calmly loves them and moves through them to depart.
The three readings tie closely together — in the first reading we are urged to identify our own role as Christian stewards; the second reading makes it clear that love of those around us is the way to live out that mission; and the Gospel reminds us that there will be obstacles, but our proper response is love.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

The readings for this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time are so rich in content and include some of the most quoted passages, sentences, and phrases in all of scripture.
Jeremiah means “Yahweh” — God. The particular passage, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jer 1:4), reminds us that God has a plan for each of us, and He has known it from before we were conceived. Our challenge as stewards is to discern that plan as best we can, and to follow it.
Of, course, the second reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is also very familiar. It is a definition of what good and holy love is in its purest form. “So faith, hope, and love remain, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13)
Luke’s Gospel recounts Jesus speaking in the temple in Nazareth. As is the case with the other two readings, one of the most quoted sentences in scripture is part of this passage: “No prophet is accepted in his own native place.” The key is how Jesus responds to the rejection by his friends and neighbors. He calmly loves them and moves through them to depart.
The three readings tie closely together — in the first reading we are urged to identify our own role as Christian stewards; the second reading makes it clear that love of those around us is the way to live out that mission; and the Gospel reminds us that there will be obstacles, but our proper response is love.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Today’s Gospel from John includes the story of the Miracle at the Wedding Feast in Cana. The wedding feast in Cana is always the Gospel reading for this Sunday because it is there that Christ is revealed. The last sentence in John’s Gospel (Jn 2:11) is “Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.” This is his first sign, and as stated, it “revealed his glory.” For His disciples, you might say this was the “clincher,” and they “began to believe in him.”

Although today is the Second Sunday in Ordinary time, “ordinary” does not mean “commonplace.” In its usage by the Church it stems from two Latin words — ordinalis, which means numbers listed in order, and ordo which means order. Ordinary Time is merely a reminder to us that the Church has order, and that we are expected to approach our faith in an ordered and consistent way.

In the second reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains and defines what stewardship really is. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”  Each of us is gifted in some special way. And all of our gifts are to be used to build the Kingdom of God. If we truly believe, we need to live out our lives in the way once described by the late Archbishop Thomas Murphy, who said, “We all possess certain talents and gifts which are unique only to us. You already have what you need to start living an extraordinary life. It is up to you to let your light shine.”

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Today — the Baptism of the Lord—is also the First Sunday in Ordinary Time. Jesus’ Baptism Feast is placed here by the Church because it is an important part of what has been revealed and taught to us during Christmas.

Last week we spoke of the meaning of Epiphany — a “manifestation” or “revealing.” Christ’s Baptism, as described in the Gospel of Luke in today’s readings, represents one of the Theophanies. An Epiphany is a manifestation, but a Theophany is the manifestation of God Himself. During this Christmas season and the week after it, we celebrate four theophanies: 1. The birth of Christ on December 25, which revealed Christ to Israel; 2. The visit of the Magi on Epiphany, which revealed Christ to the Gentiles; 3. The Baptism of the Lord, which revealed the Trinity; and 4. The miracle at the wedding of Cana, which revealed Christ’s transformation to the world. (Next week’s Gospel is the miracle at Cana.)

Jesus’ Baptism is even more than a revelation to us. If He, Who had no need of this purifying act, humbly subjected Himself to it, then we, most in need of redemption, can recognize both the importance of this sacrament, as well as recognizing how we are freed from darkness. Jesus was not Baptized because He needed it, but because we needed it.

The Baptism of the Lord marks the official end of Christmas. Most churches do not dismantle their Christmas decorations until after this Feast Day. As Catholics perhaps we, too, should follow that example — to let everyone know that Christmas does not end with Christmas Day, but with the culmination of our understanding as to Who Christ is.

 

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

The story of the Magi — the Three Kings — is one of the most endearing and most familiar to all Catholics. Because they brought gifts, it is also the focus of many stewardship commentaries. In addition, it may be one of the more misunderstood stories around the birth of Jesus.

Epiphany is a word with Greek origins that means “manifestation.” We celebrate Epiphany because it represents the realization (related to the appearance and visit of the Magi to the Christ child) that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

The visit of the Magi to the child Jesus is reported only in Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew never states that there were three — that is an assumption which has been made based upon the three gifts. Traditional representations of their visit place them in the stable where Jesus was born. Matthew, on the other hand, makes reference to the Magi visiting the Holy Family in their house — which would imply they may have come to Nazareth, not to Bethlehem.

In fact, it does not matter how we interpret the specifics of the visit of these men “from the East.” The stewardship aspects of this story present us a real view of what is expected of us as stewards. The visitors from the East made valuable gifts to the Holy Family — gifts with a value which may have represented a sacrifice on their part. Furthermore, the gifts were given at a time when the Holy Family had a need — they were preparing to flee to Egypt. The generosity of the Magi may have been the instrument which allowed them to do that. Being from a distant land, these “wise men” acknowledge that Christ is the Savior of all lands and all peoples. Near the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that nations will be judged not just on how they treat Him, but on how they treat His brothers and sisters in need — a definite call to stewardship.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

As we might expect on this Feast of the Holy Family, the readings focus on family matters. In fact, they offer a blueprint for family stewardship. The concept of stewardship within a family is closely related to how family members treat one another — how they show respect and love for one another.

The first reading from the Book of Sirach makes it quite clear that children are called to honor, revere, care for, and be kind to their father and mother. Of course, this is a manifestation of the commandment with which we are so familiar — Honor thy Father and Mother. Stewardship is synonymous with love. Thus, although the children are called to love in this way, it is also strongly implied that the father and mother are also called to love and revere one another and their children.

“And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” We do not know much about the life of Jesus between his birth and the beginning of His ministry. We are presented with one vignette of His youth, however, in the Gospel reading from Luke. Under Jewish tradition a boy became a Bar Mitzvah (which means Son of the Commandment) at the age of 13. Prior to that step into maturity and adulthood a boy was expected to study, listen, and question at the Temple one or two years earlier. That is what Mary and Joseph and Jesus were pursuing in this Gospel passage — they were following the customs of the day. About this time in His life we might say, “The child became a man.”

The Holy Family is an ideal we as people cannot replicate. Nevertheless, it is clear that family life, like the virtues of love and kindness and humility and forgiveness, requires constant effort. Nothing in life is necessarily easy. Being a unified and loving family has rewards beyond our comprehension.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Today — Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent — is a time to rejoice! Everything, from the lighting of the rose-colored candle, to the consistent use of the words JOY and REJOICE in the readings, points to being called to joyfully proclaim the imminent coming of Jesus.
Often people who practice stewardship as a way of life are called a “joyous people.” That is a natural reflection and a natural phrase to use with people of stewardship because, based upon living their lives as grateful people, they focus on their blessings, not their Crosses and burdens. When one sees the good sides of life and living, it is difficult not to be happy.
Our task as Catholics is to focus much of the energy and excitement which seems to come with this season into what we are really celebrating — the arrival of Christ. Advent is about hope. It is not just hope that things will get better or hope that our burdens will disappear.  It is hope that there is meaning to our lives. It is the hope and understanding that there is an incredible existence beyond our human state. It is the hope that our lives are not as limited as they may seem to be. We must never forget what we heard in a Gospel passage of a few weeks ago: “All things are possible with God.”  After all, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Today’s scripture readings remind us that as we celebrate the Advent season and await the celebration of Christmas, we are to do so actively – boldly proclaiming the Lord’s praises and giving Him glory in the way we live our lives. Advent is a season of waiting, but the wait is not a passive one. Rather, we are called to be actively preparing the meet the Savior, readying our hearts and our minds for His coming.

The gospel for today encourages us, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight and the rough made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

But how do we do so? We live our lives for the Lord. We offer Him ourselves in gratitude for the many things He has given us and the many things He has done, and, in so doing, we proclaim His greatness to the world, helping others come to recognize His wonder and His majesty.

“Bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name. For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.”

This Advent season offers us a time to reassess how well we are living for God. Is it obvious to everyone we meet that we are stewards of God’s many gifts? Does the way we use what the Lord has given us proclaim His praises to the world? Are we ready to greet Him – both as we celebrate Christmas and when we meet Him face-to-face when He comes again? Or is there more we can do?

 

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. He is the greatest king there is yet He does not sit on a golden throne. He hangs on a cross. As the King of Kings, Jesus hows us what true greatness is. It is loving and serving one another, giving ourselves in love for one another, and using the gifts God has given us to glorify Him.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” Likewise, we are called to use the lives God has given us to testify to the truth. We are called to bear witness to the gospel by the way we live our lives, giving of our time, our talents and our treasure to serve the Lord by serving one another. Then, people will surely see God in us, and we will call others to Him.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Today’s readings draw our attention to the final judgment. The end will come. “Heaven and Earth will pass away,” and though “of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father,” we do know that it will come. And each one of us will stand face-to-face with our creator. Will He be pleased with how we’ve lived, and with what we’ve done with the many gifts He’s given us?

Today’s apocalyptic Gospel message offers us a great opportunity to reflect on the meaning of our lives. We know that we were not created to live our lives on Earth forever. We were created to live for God, to live in unity with Him. Our lives in heaven will consist of perfect unity with God; our whole being will be centered on loving and praising Him. Yet, there is no reason for that to wait until we’ve entered eternal glory. In fact, it cannot wait. While we look forward to the day when we will greet the Lord, while we know that heaven is our home, that eternal glory is our goal, we are charged to live in the present. God has placed us here for a reason. He has a mission for each one of us, and He expects us to make good use of the time He has given us on Earth — to praise Him in the way we live our lives, to unite ourselves with Him in the sacraments, and to show forth His glory by serving others in His name.

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Today’s gospel offers us a great lesson in the stewardship way of life. Mark tells us that Jesus sat and watched as many people money into the treasury. And while he watched many wealthy men give enormous amounts of money, it was one widow who gave but two small coins who caught His attention. At first glance it seems clear that she did not give as much as the many wealthy people. Yet, Jesus assured the disciples, “she gave the most” because while the others were giving out of their surplus, she was giving of her first fruits. She was giving everything she had. For her, the gift was a sacrifice.

She stands as a great example to us. We are called to give our all. We give not because we have extra left over like many of the wealthy people in today’s gospel, we give – of our time, our talents, and our treasure, because we want to show God how grateful we are for all He has given us.

How well do our commitments of time, talent, and treasure express our gratitude to God? Are we giving because it’s easy, because we have a surplus from which to give, or are we giving because we are grateful for God’s many gifts, and, therefore, offering our whole selves back to Him?

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

“You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. … You shall love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.”
Love — that is what the life of Christian stewardship is all about. In an effort to show God our immense gratitude for the love and care that He continually bestows on us, we give our lives to Him in loving service. We love and serve one another as a response to God’s infinite love for every one of us.
That is what we were made for. That is the life we are called to. That is Christian discipleship lived through stewardship. It is constant self-giving in love of God and one another. Nothing else is more important!

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGSIn today’s gospel, we learn an incredible lesson about what happens when we act out in faith, even amidst opposing people.
The blind man (Bartimaeus) called out to Jesus, because he knew that Christ could heal Him, and He believed that Christ would. He had faith. And even when people around him tried to hush him, the man was not deterred. He continued to cry out with courage and conviction.
In turn, Jesus gave the man his sight back, and the gospel tells us that the man then followed Jesus “on the way.”
Christian discipleship begins with a faith response to Jesus. He has called us to Himself, and we must choose how we will respond. We must take ownership of the faith He has blessed us with and choose to live in faith, to live for Him — even when we face opposition.
We give Jesus our lives. We live boldly and courageously, giving our time, talents and treasure to serve Him, because, like Bartimaeus, we believe!

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