Catholic Stewardship Consultants, Inc.

Developing Stewardship as a Way of Life

Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – Oct. 17, 2010

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Oct. 17, 2010 – Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:2; Luke 18:1-8

Whatever people reacted when they heard Jesus teaching, they never thought he was boring.  Indeed, he often upset them, because he spoke in ways that overturned their conventional ideas about God and proper human behavior.

One example is the Parable of the Dishonest Steward (Luke 16) that was read a few weeks ago, where Jesus seems at first to praise the steward for his dishonesty.  Another example can be found in the Gospel from Luke 18, the Parable of the Persistent Widow, which is read today.  Isn’t Jesus making a comparison between God and the unjust judge who doesn’t care about right and wrong but only his own peace and quiet?

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Msgr. P. James Costigan: Service − The Fourth Pillar of Parish Stewardship

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Editor’s Note: This is the final in a five-part series by Msgr. Jim Costigan on The Pillars of Parish Stewardship.

Msgr. P. James Costigan is the pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Savannah, Ga.In the fifth and final  installment in my series on The Pillars of Parish Stewardship — the 2004 document published by the stewardship office of the Diocese of Wichita — we take an in-depth look at the fourth pillar: service.

Throughout Sacred Scripture, there are numerous references to service. There is the parable of the vigilant and faithful servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, “ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12: 35-40). There is the story of the good Samaritan who was moved with compassion to help the victim of a violent robbery (Lk 10: 25-37). And there are several examples of Christ serving those around Him: feeding the multitudes, healing the sick, and even turning water into wine at a wedding banquet.

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Stewardship Bulletin Reflection for the Week of Oct. 10, 2010

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Luke 17: 11-19

Naaman the Syrian and the Samaritan were both lepers, healed by the power of God even though they were foreigners. But their response of gratitude was more important than their nationalities or their disease.

Gratitude is the foundation of stewardship. Our thankfulness to God for our life and our spiritual healing through Christ as well as for all the gifts of time, talent, and treasure we have received should motivate our entire life. Or will we be like the other nine lepers who were healed, and not bother to give thanks? Our response will determine the sort of stewards we are.

Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – Oct. 10, 2010

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Oct. 10, 2010 − Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

What do you suppose the neighbors thought when Naaman returned from his journey to Israel with, of all things, two mule-loads of dirt?  For a Syrian general to head to Israel was in itself very odd – but to bring back bags of soil?  Of course, Naaman was a leper, and desperate men will do desperate things.

The truth was that Naaman had been a leper, but he was now a grateful ex-leper.  After some hesitation, he had followed the instructions of the Israelite prophet Elisha and had bathed in the Jordan River.  And, behold, he was now cured, according to the reading from 2 Kings.  Naaman was very grateful indeed and thanked Elisha, who refused any gift.

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Stewardship Bulletin Reflection for the Week of Oct. 3, 2010

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Luke 17: 5-10

The Catholic Steward Crucifix

The challenge to us, to say when we’ve finished all our tasks, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do,” is not something we welcome.  We’re likely to feel resentful that we don’t see an immediate reward.

But we’re created by God and we have our fullest satisfaction when we serving him with all the gifts he as given us.  That’s because we are not only creatures marred by sin but also children of God by his gracious adoption.  Therefore he has given us a spirit of “power and love and self-control” to guide us in our use of time, talent, and treasure.

Although hardships will come as we follow the way of the Gospel instead of the way of the world, we have the promise that through God’s grace, because of our faith, we shall live.

Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – Oct. 3, 2010

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Oct. 3, 2010 — Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Psalm 95; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10

Sometimes the Gospel message comes as a consolation.  Sometimes it comes as a challenge.  Today’s reading from Luke 17 presents us with the latter.

After all, when we’ve finished a hard day at work, the last thought that’s likely to be in our minds is, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do,” with the implication that we shouldn’t expect any reward.  We’re not likely to feel that way toward our bosses.

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Fr. Dave Zimmer: Did the Apostle Paul Have a Stewardship Story?

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Permanently etched in my memory is a painting done by the famous Italian artist Caravaggio of the “Conversion of St. Paul.” It is one of Caravaggio’s greatest works, telling the story that changed the face of Christianity and the Catholic Church. I have read the account of Paul’s conversion many times in the New Testament and celebrated the feast day of that event on Jan. 25 for many years. The story can be read in Acts 9: 1-31.

St. Paul’s original name was Saul, and he was feared by the early Christians. Before his conversion, Saul’s mission was to eliminate Christianity by persecuting the early Church. How does one change from that to become one of the most important ministers of the gospel of all time? It is conversion at its very best. The man who was Saul became Paul at the Lord’s own choosing. And it is important for us at St. John’s to know this story, and to realize that the potential Christ saw in St. Paul is not unlike the potential that lies within each of us to be Christ’s disciple.

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Eric McArdle: A Stewardship Prayer

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Eric McArdle is the President of Catholic Stewardship ConsultantsWe often get requests from parishes for short prayers to incorporate at the end of the Prayers of the Faithful, and we think this is a good practice. Listed below is an example of a stewardship prayer you could use as-is or adjust as you see fit for your own parish.

Lord, hear our prayer as we seek to be good stewards of the many gifts you have given to us. Give us wisdom to discern Your will for us, strength to meet the challenge, and the grace to remain committed to You. Help us to use our Time, Talent, and Treasure for Your greater honor and glory. In your name we pray. Amen.

Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – Sept. 26, 2010

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Sept. 26, 2010 —Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Amos 6:1, 4-7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31

What kind of steward are you?  The Gospel reading from Luke 16 really challenges us.  Oh, we may try to get around it by maintaining that we aren’t stewards, that we’ve never committed ourselves to the practice of stewardship.  But, like it or not, you are a steward.  You are responsible to God for how you use what he has entrusted to you.  You may be a good steward, or a bad steward, or a mediocre steward, but you are a steward.  So, what kind of steward are you?

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Stewardship Bulletin Reflection for the Week of Sept. 26, 2010

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Luke 16:19-31

In Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Rich Man (“Dives”) suffers after death, while poor Lazarus has consolation. The parable indicates that Dives never harmed Lazarus, but he never did anything to help him either, although Lazarus would gladly have eaten Dives’ table scraps. Dives’ sin was that of omission, not bothering to do the good he would have been able to do for Lazarus.

Good stewards are concerned not only to avoid doing evil with the time, talent, and treasure God has entrusted to them, but also to do good with those gifts.  People who keep everything for themselves and fail to share what they have or do good with them are likewise guilty of sins of omission. What kind of steward are you?

Fr. Michael Troha: Redirecting the Questions

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I find it interesting to note that in the Gospels, Jesus never gives a straight answer to a question posed to Him. Actually, He did give a straight answer once, when the rich young man asked Him which was the greatest commandment and then followed up with another question, “What more must I do to be saved?”

Evidently, the rich young man did not like the direct answer Jesus gave him to the follow-up question, because the Gospel says that “he went away sad, because he had many possessions” (Mt 19: 22).

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Msgr. Thomas McGread: How We Use Our Time

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Msgr. Thomas McGread is Stewardship Director Emeritus for the Diocese of WichitaWhen people are asked to log their time – say, at work – they often never get started because they’re waiting for a “normal week.”

There have been, however, careful studies of how people in the U.S, actually use the 10,080 minutes that make up a week. Here are some of the findings:

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Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings – Sept. 19, 2010

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Sept. 19, 2010 —Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113; 1 Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13 or 16:10-13

Summary.  Jesus tells a parable about a man who mismanages his employer’s property and who alters the books so he’ll be supported after his firing.  Jesus points out that worldly people are more successful at dishonest dealings than those whose lives are centered on spiritual concerns.  He then goes on to point out that people’s characters are revealed in the way they handle small matters as well as great matters, which leads him to his most important point in this Gospel:  No one can have two “masters,” topics of ultimate concern.  You have to choose whether God, or yourself, symbolized by your wealth, is going to be the center of your life.

The parable of the Dishonest Steward as found in Luke 16 is a real shocker!  How can Jesus be telling a story that praises dishonesty?  After all, the dishonest steward seems to land on both feet, even though he had been squandering the master’s property, the very property he was responsible for.

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Fr. Allan McDonald: Renewing Our Faith

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Anne Rice, the famous author of horror novels, rediscovered her Catholic Faith a couple of years ago. Last month, she publicly renounced her Catholic Faith. She said she would not belong to any Church or religion and would no longer even be a Christian, although she would continue to be “spiritual” and believe in Christ. Go figure!

Many modern people today espouse that they are spiritual, but not religious, belonging to no organized religious group. But is that possible? Not if you are Catholic, for Catholic spirituality means accepting the Catholic Faith, which always entails being a “Churchman.”

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Eric McArdle: The Ultimate Goal Of A Parish

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Eric McArdle is the President of Catholic Stewardship ConsultantsAt our most recent Msgr. McGread Stewardship Conference, Fr. Jim Golka — the pastor of St. Patrick’s Church in North Platte, Neb. — gave a wonderful presentation on how they have successfully developed stewardship at St. Patrick. Here, I would like to share with you my recollection of a small portion of Fr. Golka’s presentation, focusing on his comments regarding the mission of a parish.

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