The famous author Gilbert K. Chesterton supposedly once said, “Coincidences are God’s way of staying anonymous.” Some have told me they have no time for coincidences and even regard them as unimportant. There may have been a time when I might have agreed with them. But since a “conversion” to the stewardship way of life, […]
Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – July 25, 2010
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13 Effective stewardship in a parish is the result of many factors. There are many people who think they’ll have success if they can just find the right combination of tools and techniques, and so they’re always searching for the latest novelty in […]
Fr. Michael Troha: Answering the Call to Serve
Recently, I was elected by the members of the Priest Retirement Board for the Diocese of Cleveland to be the chairman of this group for the next two years. I didn’t want to be chairman of the board. In fact, at the last meeting, when it was time to make nominations, I quickly nominated someone […]
Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – July 18, 2010
July 18, 2010 — Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Genesis 18:1-10a; Psalm 15; Colossians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42 The Old Testament reading from Genesis and the Gospel reading from Luke bring out one of the great themes of stewardship – hospitality. What does this have to do with stewardship? Stewardship includes sharing with others the gifts […]
Msgr. P. James Costigan: Formation — Transformed Through Christ
Editor’s Note: This is the third in a five-part series by Msgr. Jim Costigan on The Pillars of Parish Stewardship. “Jesus not only calls people to him but also forms them and sends them out in his service.” — From Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response For my latest in this series on The Pillars of Parish […]
Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – July 11, 2010
July 11, 2010 – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Psalm 69; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37 The portion of St. Luke’s Gospel we read in 10:25-37 contains one of the most familiar of all parables, that of the Good Samaritan. We all know the story Jesus told: a traveler is mugged, beaten and robbed […]
Deacon Don McArdle: We Are All Fishers of Men
Imagine for just a moment that you are one of the first disciples. This is not an easy task. After all, we cannot truly fathom what it was like to live in Galilee 2,000 years ago as Jesus walked the earth. But let’s take a moment and put ourselves in the place of Simon, Andrew, […]
Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – July 4, 2010
July 4, 2010 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 66:10-14c; Psalm 66; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12,17-20 or Luke 10:1-9 The teaching Jesus gives in Luke 10 can provide a serious challenge to even the most vocal advocate of Christian stewardship. Jesus tells not just to believe that God loves us and provides what we […]
Fr. Dave Zimmer: Tithing Made a Difference in my Spiritual Life
Tithing hasn’t always been a part of my own practice of contributing to the Church or other charities. I donated when and what I could for a number of years, but I have to admit, how much I was willing to give was sporadic and inconsistent. To make the decision to commit 10 percent of […]
Fr. Michael Troha: “Re-Charging” Our Stewardship Commitments
“There’s no vacation from vocation.” That was the pithy saying, uttered by the spiritual director, that we took home with us for summer vacation from the high school seminary. Our diocese closed the high school seminary in the early 1970s as times changed and the numbers of high school seminarians decreased. The thought remains the […]
