September 9, 2018 —Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

IS 35:4-7A; PS 146:6-10; JAS 2:1-5; MK 7:31-37

This Sunday’s readings once again illustrate the timeless message of stewardship interwoven throughout the Word of God. Today’s readings offer beautiful illustrations of two of the “Four Pillars of Parish Stewardship” — hospitality and service — and the joy that a life lived for others can bring.

The first reading from Isaiah starts off with a powerful message of hope meant to be shared. “Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared.” What a message of encouragement and consolation the prophet is instructed to give!

By virtue of our Baptism, we modern-day prophets are entrusted with this same message. We, too, are called to share the good news of salvation with others, starting in our own families and circle of friends and extending to all in our parish and community. Sharing this Good News is the true goal of hospitality.

In our second reading, from the letter of St. James, we see that all are equally worthy of our hospitality. “If a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Sit here, please,’ while you say to the poor one, ‘Stand there,’ or ‘Sit at my feet,’…have you not become judges with evil designs?”

Clearly, we are to welcome and serve everyone who walks through our church’s doors, extending warmth and a dignified greeting to all. The person who wanders in late to Mass, who is not dressed to our personal standards, may be just the person who is most in need of the message of hope we read of in Isaiah this week. Sometimes we can offer that message simply with a smile and offer to come and sit next to us in “our” pew.

The Gospel reading from Mark gives further illustration of hospitality and service, and the connection between the two. In this passage we find Jesus on the go, and “people brought to Him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged Him to lay His hand on him.”

These people had already heard the Good News that Jesus was preaching. In response, they reached out to a man who literally could not hear and brought him close to Jesus so that he could receive the Good News, too. This is true service. This is hospitality at its finest.

Jesus responds immediately to this act of service and hospitality, opening the deaf man’s ears and removing his speech impediment! And what about the people whose service and hospitality had made this encounter possible? Jesus blessed them for it, confirming their faith to such a degree that they were “exceedingly astonished” and could not stop themselves from proclaiming the miracle they had witnessed.

This scripture passage illustrates a wonderful aspect of stewardship living – we simply cannot outdo our God in generosity. The more we give of ourselves to welcome and serve others for His sake, the more He blesses and strengthens our own faith. This week let’s challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort zone to reach out to someone who needs to hear the Good News of Jesus. We may just find ourselves astonished at what miracles He accomplishes!

September 2, 2018 —Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

DT 4:1-2, 6-8; PS 15:2-5; JAS 1:17-18,21B-22,27; MK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

In today’s Gospel from Mark, Jesus instructs us in the best way we can honor Him, teaching us the meaning of true worship. Jesus reveals that the way we truly worship Him is by giving Him our hearts. The heart is the deepest part of us, the very core of our being. He wants our heart connected to His heart. He wants a strong, real, and intimate relationship with us.

Stewardship is all about giving our hearts over to the Lord, giving Him first priority so that we can have this profound relationship with Him — a relationship that affects every area of our lives.

We also learn in this Gospel passage what our Lord does not want – the pious lip service that the scribes and Pharisees offer. In fact, recalling the words of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus laments, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me.” The scribes and Pharisees were observing the religious rituals of their day and time, but they were simply going through the motions. They were not allowing God to change them and so their worship was in vain. Our Lord is not looking for the number of prayers we can rattle off or our great knowledge of Church teaching.

The second reading, from St. James, reinforces Jesus’ teaching on true worship. St. James tells us to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.” In other words, talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words. It is not enough to show up at Mass on Sunday as a passive observer. That is vain worship; it is not giving our hearts over to God.

St. James then gives two examples of worship that is pleasing to God. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Reaching out to the most vulnerable members of society, maintaining a moral lifestyle in our increasingly immoral world, this is true worship.

But how can we determine if we really are giving our hearts over to the Lord and not just paying Him lip service? We must commit to the Lord day by day and not just for an hour on Sunday, important as our Sunday Mass commitment is. We must examine our lives to see if they reflect a life lived out for Him.

Stewardship gives us a concrete means to examine our lives in three fundamental areas — the use of our time, our talents, and our material gifts. A stewardship way of life invites and challenges us to make specific commitments in each of these areas on a regular basis, giving us a practical means to commit to the Lord. How well we are keeping these commitments can give us a kind of measuring stick to see if we are growing closer to Him, or perhaps need to put a little more effort into a particular area of our lives.

When we all strive to give God true worship — putting Him first with all our hearts — what beauty we will find in our homes, our parish, and our world.

August 26, 2018 —Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jos 24:1-2a; Ps 34; Eph 5:21-32; Jn 6:60-69

There are so many stewardship themes in our readings today, but they boil down to this: they challenge us to choose whom we will serve. Will we choose God and others, or ourselves? In the first reading, Joshua poses the challenge this way, “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve.” As a leader he sets an example declaring, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” And the people, recalling God’s many blessings to them and his great faithfulness time and time again, join Joshua in his choice, pledging “We also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

St. Paul issues a similar challenge in the second reading saying, “Brothers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” He places this challenge in the context of married life. Husbands and wives are asked to decide whether they will choose to serve themselves or their spouse, and by extension, their families. But the challenge extends to all relationships — friendships, employers and employees, fellow parishioners, even the people hurrying to the checkout line at the store. In choosing to serve others before self, we are ultimately choosing to put God first in our lives. That is stewardship.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus continues His instruction on the Eucharist. Many of his own disciples cannot accept His teachings and instead return to their former way of life, abandoning Christ altogether. Jesus turns to the Apostles and asks them to choose with the question, “Do you also want to leave?” Peter speaks up for the Twelve responding, “Master, to Whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

The demands of a stewardship way of life can be difficult. And the teachings of Christ can be hard to accept. How can we keep going when it gets tough? The people’s response to Joshua’s challenge in the first reading, and Peter’s response to our Lord in the Gospel show us two ways.

When Joshua asks the people to decide whom they will serve they pause and call to mind all the blessings the Lord has given them and His unfailing faithfulness. Filled with gratitude to God, they choose Him. When the going gets tough for us, we too, can pause and remember the many blessings God has given and the many times He has shown His care for us. In gratitude, we are inspired to put Him and others first even when it is difficult.

Peter’s honest response to the choice Jesus poses shows us a second way to stay true to a stewardship way of life. Looking at himself and the world around him, Peter comes to a realization. To paraphrase, he says, “I don’t really see any better options, Lord. I’ve tried life with you and it’s hard. But I’ve tried life without You and it’s harder — it doesn’t satisfy. Where else am I going to go? I choose You, Lord.” Peter knows he doesn’t have all the answers. And so, he humbly chooses to rely on God. When the going gets tough, we can keep going by relying on God and trusting more deeply in Him.

Remembering blessings and relying on Him — two keys to help us choose whom we will serve. Two keys to a beautiful way of life.

August 19, 2018 —Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Prov 9:1-619; Ps 34; Eph 5:15-20; Jn 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowd, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” Their response? Shock and indignation. We can hardly blame them for this reaction — eating the Flesh and drinking the Blood of our Lord should cause us a bit of a shock. Yet, how easy it is for us modern-day Catholics to show up at Mass Sunday after Sunday, receiving the Eucharist as simply part of a weekly routine.

If we really spent time praying and contemplating the gift our Lord is offering us in this sacrament, we would be awestruck at the love and power in this gift. Through it, our Lord is giving us the very best He has to give — Himself. In his gift of the Eucharist, He has held back nothing, giving us literally everything he has to give, His very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Not even the greatest theological scholar or the holiest of saints can fully understand this mystery.

Thankfully, the first reading comes as a wonderful consolation to us “ordinary folks.” It says, “’Let whoever is simple turn in here; to the one who lacks understanding… come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.”

St. Paul delivers a similar message in our second reading, instructing, “Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity because the days are evil.” So, we don’t need to be saints or scholars in order to receive this sublime gift. But we should do our best to receive the Eucharist with gratitude. And we can look to today’s readings to glean two fundamental principles to become better Christian stewards.

First, the Eucharist is the foundation for a stewardship way of life. Through His gift of the Eucharist, God fills us with His love and strength. This love and strength empower us to live as generous stewards — to be faithful to the ministries in which we serve, to step beyond our comfort zone in material giving, and to offer our very best to our families and secular work.

Second, the Eucharist is our ultimate inspiration for a stewardship way of life. When we really think about what we receive in this gift — God Himself — we will want to make a joyful return to Him by the way we live our lives! The more that we deepen our understanding of this sacrament through study of the Church’s teachings on the Eucharist, the more we will want to live our lives as grateful, generous and joy-filled stewards.

As the book of Proverbs and the great St. Paul remind us, let us not live foolishly, but make the most of our time — during Mass and adoration — by giving the Lord all our attention and devotion in these moments. Let us form ourselves by studying what the Catechismand spiritual writers have to teach us about the Eucharist. Then, coming to Mass each week will be anything but routine.

And in return for this unfathomable gift of our Lord Himself, let us live intentionally and passionately as His disciples every day of our lives.

August 12, 2018 — Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kgs 19:4-8; Ps 34:2-9; Eph 4:30-5:2; Jn 6: 41-51

Elijah spent a long, hot day traipsing through the desert until he finally came to a sad little broom tree. Sliding dejectedly beneath it, he prayed for death, crying out. “This is enough, O Lord! Take my life.” Talk about a bad day! Haven’t we all been through this at some point in our stewardship journey — whether in the parish ministry work we are trying to do, at home with our family or in our profession? Maybe you’re there right now. You’ve have been dragging yourself through the “desert” all day and have nothing to show for it but frustration and misunderstanding; you have nothing left to give and you are just done — enough already, Lord!

It’s a cry we all make at one point or another, whether out loud or silently. Elijah certainly doesn’t hold back in his complaint to God — he asks the Lord to end his life entirely! He’s being a just a wee bit dramatic, wouldn’t you agree? Yet this plea — melodramatic to be sure — is a form of the stewardship pillar of prayer, for prayer at its core is simply a lifting of the mind and heart to God.

And how does the Lord respond to Elijah? With a stern lecture? With a guilt trip to just pull himself up by the sandal straps and keep going?

No, he responds with help and comfort that is both tender and practical — He sends an angel to give Elijah food and drink and lets him extend his nap a little longer. When Elijah’s strength is fully restored, God sets him right back on his journey. Rejuvenated, Elijah is able to walk for 40 days until he arrives at the destination God had in mind for him all along!

We see just the opposite happening in the Gospel reading. The people, hearing Jesus’ message, do not understand. But rather than take their complaint to Him, they begin to complain amongst themselves about Him — that’s murmuring.

What can we learn from these reactions as modern-day disciples and Christian stewards? Several things. First, feeling worn out and worn down from time to time is actually part of the stewardship journey. It means we are giving our all to the life God is calling us to live. But it is also a sign to us that we need to find some rest and restoration, so that we can gain new and needed strength to keep going.

Second, we learn that “murmuring” is counterproductive. It only leads to more discouragement, weariness and discontent. Rather than complain about God, (or our ministry, our relationships, our work) we should take our complaints to God in prayer. We should ask Him for the rest and strength we need to keep going on the journey of faith. He delights in our reliance on Him. He will send an “angel” in some form or other to give you what you need physically for your own unique stewardship journey.

Even more, as we see in today’s Gospel, He will send you His own Son, the Bread from Heaven, to strengthen you spiritually with His very Body and Blood and the living Word of the Scriptures. A stewardship way of life takes all the strength we have to give. The beauty of this way of life is that we have a God who delights in giving us every bit of strength we need to live it!

Copyright © 2018 — Catholic Stewardship Consultants, Inc.

August 5, 2018 — Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time

EX 16: 2-4, 12-15; PS 78: 3-4, 23-25, 54; EPH 4: 17, 20-24; JN 6: 24-35

Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was foretold more than once in the Old Testament. In fact, the town of Bethlehem is mentioned more than 40 times in the Old Testament. The prophet Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, and perhaps you are familiar with how often Isaiah referred to the Messiah to come. Micah states in Chapter 5 of the Book of Micah, “But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathaha, least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old.” He refers to it as Bethlehem-Ephrathaha to distinguish it because there was more than one Bethlehem.

`However, King David was born in Bethlehem-Ephrathaha, as was Joseph. Bethlehem in Hebrew (Bet Lehem) means “House of Bread.” This reference to bread is one that occurs throughout Holy Scripture. We are all aware of that part of the Our Father,“Give us this day our daily bread,” but there is and was more to it than that, and is much more than providing us with enough to eat. St. Paul wrote in First Corinthians “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” — namely, Jesus Christ.

Bread is important in today’s readings. The final verse of the First Reading from the Book of Exodus is, “This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.” This reading speaks of the Bread from Heaven (manna) that fell to save the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. God provided for them, but they did not recognize what was being provided. We are provided the “Bread of Life” through the Eucharist and through our holy liturgies. Sometimes, though, we do not recognize it as we should.

In truth, we need to be changed every time we receive of the “Bread of Life.” This idea of change, conversion, is emphasized by St. Paul in the Second Reading from his letter to the Ephesians. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians lays out in many ways the spiritual journey on which we should travel. Paul is telling us we as Catholics and Christians need to walk — to live — in a different way than the world around us.

We tend to display to the world that we really are not that different at all. To have as our goal the respect and approval of the world around us is misguided. Recall from the First Reading that God met the needs of the Israelites but He did not do it in a way they expected. As Christians we must be prepared to break with the past. We do not just add the Lord to our old life. He needs to become our “new life.” That is what the Bread of Life discourse is all about. It renews us; it invigorates us; it strengthens us every time we receive it. It is not easy to see it that way or to feel that when we approach the Holy Eucharist, but that is very much what it is intended for. As Paul tells us in this reading from Ephesians, we need to “put away the old self of your (our) former life, and be renewed in the spirit of your (our) minds, and put on the new self.” It is this “new self” that recognizes the important role each of us plays as part of the Body of Christ.

The Gospel Reading from John tells of Jesus revealing that He is the Bread of Life. In terms of chronology, this happens shortly after Jesus fed the multitude. We note that the “feeding of the 5,000” occurred near Bethsaida (also worth noting that Bet (Beth) again means “house of” and “saida” means “fish.” What a coincidence! Jesus has just fed the multitude using a few loaves of bread and some fish, and Bethsaida is recorded as being the hometown of Sts. Andrew, Peter, James, John, and Philip, some of whom were fishermen. Bethsaida lies at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee, and not too far west of that is Capernaum, where our Gospel is set.

Many of the same people who were “fed” at the miracle of feeding the multitude sought Jesus out. They were still hungry, but not for food as we know it, but for the Word of God — and Jesus knows that. The Lord says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.” In other words, for the “Bread of Life.”

When Jesus calls Himself the “Bread of Life,” He is indicating that He wants us to lift our minds, thoughts and hearts from earthly existence and to spiritual realities. Each of us needs to put our confidence in the Lord — not in material things. If we accept the Lord and believe and trust in Him, we, too, can satisfy our spiritual hunger.

Copyright © 2018 — Catholic Stewardship Consultants, Inc.

July 29, 2018 — Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time

2 KGS 4: 42-44 PS 145: 10-11, 15-18; EPH 4: 1-6; JN 6: 1-15

St. John Chrysostom was particularly known for his preaching skills and his ability to communicate. In fact the name “Chrysostom” means “golden-mouthed” In defining Christ-like humility, he said, “It is having the power to take revenge, but never doing that. It is characteristic of a generous, forgiving heart.”

Although our readings on this 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time do not directly address the idea of humility, that is an underlying theme in all of them.

In a miracle that anticipated Jesus’ miracle of feeding the multitude, as reported in today’s Gospel, Elisha commanded that a small amount of bread be served to 100 men. Elisha’s request is met with doubt and unbelief, but Elisha reminds them, “For thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over’.” And indeed there was. God promises not only to provide, but to provide beyond the immediate need.

Elisha trusted that promise, acted upon it, and saw the promise miraculously fulfilled. We, like most people, tend to forget that God can multiply food like this. God is not dependent on how this happens, but He does touch our hearts, convert us to giving and sharing people, in ways that accomplish miracles like this. If we trust in God and live as good stewards, what we accomplish is, in its own way, a miracle.

St. Paul could not state more succinctly what our approach to living as Catholics and Christians should be. In the Second Reading from his letter to the Ephesians, Paul urges us to live “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit.” Does that describe our parish community?

We might like to think it does, but that cannot happen unless we have the same kind of trust that Elisha had, and which St. Paul had, as well. Paul also says in the Second Reading from his Letter to the Ephesians, “I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.” To truly understand this call to be “worthy,” we need to understand all that God has done for us, individually and as a community. It would seem natural that if we understand what God has provided us, we will naturally want to serve and obey out of gratitude.

That sounds a lot like stewardship in action, doesn’t it? We do not do what we do necessarily because we want God to love us; we need to realize that He already loves us. Each of us in his or her own way might be considered God’s first-born. Being a child of God is almost more important than anything else, and that is why we love one another, and why we serve on another, and why we recognize that miracles occur in our lives every day.

We might not know a great deal about the Apostle, St. Philip, but he certainly is listed as an Apostle by all four Gospel writers. However, he figures most prominently in the Gospel of John, from which our Gospel Reading for today comes. The main focus of today’s Gospel is Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5,000, but Philip plays an important role in what we are being taught.

The Lord speaks specifically to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food to eat?” It is essential to note nonetheless that the Gospel tells us, “He said this to test him, because he himself (Jesus) knew what he was going to do.” Philip answers quite frankly, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” This is the same doubt experienced by Elisha in the First Reading, and the same doubt many of us face when it comes to putting total trust in the Lord.

Jesus knew full well what miracle He was about to perform, but He also saw this as a chance to teach His Apostles, and us, too. Philip and the others had already seen Jesus perform many miracles, and there should have been no question in his mind about the divine resources Jesus had at His disposal. Yet Philip hesitated. It is human nature to hesitate, to perhaps doubt, when it comes to believing and trusting. Yet, as with Elisha, they ate and there was much left over.

Even the Lord’s closest followers could not really believe. But through this miracle, Jesus is teaching us to trust Him and to do the same in our lives. And, by committing ourselves to a stewardship way of life, we can see our own gifts multiplied. And perhaps even perform our own modern-day miracles.

Copyright © 2018 — Catholic Stewardship Consultants, Inc.

July 22, 2018 — Sixteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time

JER 23: 1-6; PS 23: 1-6; EPH 2: 13-18; MK 6: 30-34

“The Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I shall want.” We are familiar with that scriptural quote from Psalm 23. Many of us have learned that and heard it since we were small. Many learned people maintain that it is the most quoted Psalm in the Bible. It is the recommended Responsorial Psalm on this 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time because it is so supportive of the other readings. It presents two important ideas: that we must place our trust in the Lord and that we inherit life from our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

The First Reading is from the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah. Of all the books in the Bible Jeremiah is the longest Book in the Bible with more than 33,000 words. It is followed by Genesis; the longest book in the New Testament is Luke with more than 19,000 words.

Jeremiah was familiar with the writings of Isaiah although Isaiah lived about 200 years before he lived. Only once did Isaiah refer to the coming Messiah as a shepherd (Isaiah 40:11): “He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast.” We can certainly recognize the many images we have of Christ the Good Shepherd in that verse.

However, Jeremiah uses that point of reference more often, especially in today’s First Reading. Jeremiah writes, speaking in behalf of the Messiah, “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow.” That sounds very much like today’s Church that includes “all the lands.”

At the close of today’s reading Jeremiah says, “This is the name they give him: ‘The LORD our justice’.” Jeremiah, like most Books in the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. What we translate as “The LORD our justice” was Yahweh Tsidkenu in the original. Another translation of the Hebrew phrase is “He is Yahweh,” a clear indication that the Messiah is God, a part of the Holy Trinity. Finding Him described as a shepherd in the same reading is quite powerful.

At the time St. Paul was writing his letter to the Ephesians (our Second Reading), Paul was under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial. He was allegedly accused by the Jews of taking a Gentile into a temple. Therefore, part of Paul’s statement, “For he (Christ) is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,” is in defense and explanation. Not only can we relate this to Jeremiah’s statement about “all the lands,” but we also need to note that for Paul any wall of separation that once existed is gone because of the Messiah’s sacrifice. Paul is saying in effect to us if the Lordship of Jesus is not greater then any difference you may feel you have with others — be it political, racial, economic, language, or geography — then you (we) do not understand what it means to be under the Lordship of Jesus. Jesus is our Savior and our Shepherd.

The Gospel Reading from Mark shows some of the dissatisfaction the Apostles evidently had with the huge crowds who followed Jesus (and thus them), but again it is this idea of shepherding that lies at the heart of it. We are told in today’s Gospel, “When he (Jesus) disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” In other words, He began to feed them.

Jesus was meeting the most essential need any of us have, to be fed with the Word of God. That is what we do during this part of our Mass; we hear Holy Scripture. These are the Words of the Lord. He is, or should be, our shepherd. He is speaking to us in this way, and He speaks to us in many ways. And we are His sheep.