“Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.” The apostles, gathered in the upper room with Jesus, must have been astounded to hear him utter those words. Hadn’t he been feeding the multitudes and healing the sick? How were they supposed to do greater works?
His answer came as he completed his statement: “because I am going to the Father.” Beginning his intercession for us before the Father, we can pray in his name as he prepares a place for us. As he told them, “If you know me, then you will also know my Father.” It takes our commitments to stewardship to get to know Jesus, as we spend time with him in worship, prayer, and meditative reading of the Bible. But if we do, St. Peter informs us we, “like living stones” can let ourselves “be built into a spiritual house” where spiritual sacrifices of praise can be offered to the Father.
But just getting to know Jesus calls for stewardship of Time, so the institution of the diaconate called for stewardship of Treasure and Talent. Stephen and the others were chosen because they were “filled with the Spirit and wisdom” to distribute the material resources of the Jerusalem Church responsibly, and they expanded their ministry to include preaching and evangelization. We, following their examples, can do the works of God in our own situations in life, wherever God has placed us.
