February 17, 2019 — Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

JER 17: 5-8; PS 1:1-4,6; 1 COR 15:12, 16-20; LK 6: 17, 20-26

Today’s readings speak of an essential quality for the Christian steward — hope.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1817).”

In many ways, this is the very definition of a stewardship way of life — focusing on eternity as we live our daily lives and relying on God to provide for our needs and satisfy our deepest longings for meaning and happiness right now.

The First Reading from Jeremiah paints a vivid picture of the difference between the person who puts his trust in fellow humans versus the person who relies on — or, in other words, hopes in — the Lord. “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh… He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season but stands in a lava waste.” Not a pretty picture!

On the other hand, the prophet teaches, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green.”

Notice that the one who trusts in the Lord does not escape the heat any more than the one who has put his trust in human strength — his own or another’s. The difference between the two is that the one who fails to trust in the Lord becomes barren in the heat, while the one who trusts in God is given the means to persevere and even thrive in the midst of the challenging times. “It’s leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress but still bears fruit.”

In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that it is foolish to think of hope in the Lord with only an “earthly” vision, since God desires nothing less than our eternal happiness. “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.” To aim only for comforts or pleasure or honors in this life is actually an impoverished way of living.

In today’s Gospel from Luke, Jesus describes the true richness of life that is possible for those of us who are willing to live as his disciples. We are all familiar with this passage in which Jesus reveals the Beatitudes: blessed are the poor; they have the kingdom of God. Blessed are those now hungry because they will be satisfied. Blessed are those who weep because they will laugh. Blessed are those who are hated, excluded and insulted because they are disciples of Jesus; they will be greatly rewarded in heaven. Jesus is describing here the character of one who is living a life of hope — the life of a Christian steward whose trust is firmly rooted in God and who is focused on others and eternity. It is not always an easy life, but it is a deeply meaningful life and one that leads to eternal reward.

February 10, 2019 — Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

IS 6: 1-2A, 3-8; PS 138: 1-5, 7-8; 1 COR 15:1-11 or 1 COR 15:3-8, 11; LK 5: 1-11

Our readings today remind us of the great privilege we have in calling ourselves children and disciples of the Most High God. 

The First Reading from Isaiah describes a vision of the prophet in which angels surround the Lord. They proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” Our God invites us to such deep intimacy and friendship with Him that we sometimes can forget just how majestic and unspeakably holy He truly is.

While we can approach Him with the confidence of a child before his father, we must also remember the deep reverence and awe that we owe to Him.

This sense of awe and reverence should motivate us to deepen our stewardship way of life as well. As we contemplate the holiness of God, we come to a heightened awareness of what a privilege it is that He has chosen to include us in His work of spreading the Gospel to others through the grateful sharing of the gifts He has given us. We can make the words of the prophet Isaiah our own: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send” Who will go for us? Here I am, I said, send me!”

The theme of awe before God continues in the Gospel passage from Luke, where we again see the juxtaposition of a God who is so near to us, yet who is altogether holy and powerful. In this passage we find Jesus preaching to a crowd who is pressing in on Him to listen. (What an inspiring image! Do we “press in” as we listen to the readings proclaimed in Mass with this same sense of wonder and urgency?) In response, Jesus uses very ordinary means so that the crowd can hear Him. He simply gets into one of the nearby boats belonging to Simon so that His voice will better carry over the water. He finishes speaking and then tells Simon the fisherman to lower his nets for a catch. Simon is skeptical about this instruction but obeys, putting his fishing talents to use as Jesus asks.

The result is a catch of fish beyond Simon’s wildest imaginings. Overwhelmed, he fell at Jesus’ knees, “for astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him.”

When we truly embrace a stewardship way of life, putting our talents, time and treasure at the service of the most High God, we, too, will be astonished at what God will do. Our lives may take a direction beyond our wildest imaginings.

But just as Jesus reassured Simon, “Be not afraid,” He reassures us, too. We need not fear a stewardship way of life. Rather, we should embrace the adventure it presents us and prepare to be astonished by what our awesome God will do. “Here I am Lord, send me!”

February 3, 2019 — Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

JER 1:4-5, 17-19; PS 71:1-6, 15-17; 1 COR 12:31-13:13 or 1 COR 13:4-13; LK 4:21-30

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” These ancient words in our First Reading from the Book of Jeremiah are meant for each one of us reflecting on them today! God has given us, His children, a purpose and mission to fulfill while we are here on this earth. Embracing stewardship as a way of life helps us to both find and fulfill the unique mission that God has in mind for each one of us. How?

Stewardship helps us to continuously evaluate all areas of daily life. It calls us first to come to an awareness of the specific gifts God has given us in each area. Once we have been awakened to the particular ways in which God has blessed us, we can set about putting those gifts to the best possible use for the advancement of His Kingdom. While every baptized Christian is called to this universal mission, God has in mind a unique way for each one of us to carry it out. We need to ask ourselves if our daily use of the Time, Talent, and Treasure God has given us aligns with this mission in the individual circumstances of our lives right now.

But what is the real measuring stick in each of these areas? Is it the number of Rosaries I can recite in a given week? The number of ministries in which I am involved? The amount of money I give in the weekly offering? How can I tell if I am fulfilling God’s mission for my life?

It is not the numbers themselves that please our Lord. Rather, as St. Paul tells us in the Second Reading today, the “measure” is the love that we put into the Time, Talent and Treasure we offer Him in grateful return. “If I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own and hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.” God is not after a particular number. What He wants us to give over to Him is our very selves.

Real love is not a sentiment. Real love is manifested in living a virtuous life. We read later in St. Paul’s letter that real love takes strength: it is patient, kind, humble, other-centered, truth-seeking and long-suffering. Love is the heroic giving of oneself even when it is uncomfortable; especially then. Love looks like Jesus. Love lives like Jesus.

Sometimes, perhaps oftentimes, living like Jesus is difficult. We see this in the Gospel Reading today where we find Jesus in action, preaching in the synagogue in His hometown. He speaks truth to the people He loves, the ones He grew up with and shared His early days with. How do they respond? They are filled with fury and run Him out of town, intent on throwing Him from a cliff! Yet Jesus is undeterred. He passes right through them and presses forward with the mission His Father has entrusted to Him.

We are called to live with this same strength and determination, fueled by the power of love and by gratitude for all God has given us.

January 20, 2019 — Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

IS 62:1-5; PS 96: 1-3,7-10; 1 COR 12:4-11; JN 2:1-11

Today’s readings remind us of the amazing privilege we have and the serious responsibility it is to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us.

The second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians shows us how personally God loves us and how uniquely He has chosen to create each one of us: “Brothers and sisters: 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.”

While Paul is speaking here of spiritual gifts, we know that everything we have — intellectual gifts, material resources, even our personalities — all are undeserved blessings from above.

Everything we have, therefore, is intended to benefit those around us. Because God has made each one of us with unique and differing gifts, the parish family truly does need each of us. It’s a wonderful — and at the same time — sobering reality. Our parish family will be vibrant only when all members, young and old, share their gifts with the community. It will suffer if even one member holds back.

The Gospel reading, from John, recounts the familiar story of the wedding feast at Cana when Jesus launched His public ministry by performing His first miracle at his mother’s request. In the midst of the feast, the Blessed Mother noticed the wine had run out, which would have caused great embarrassment to the hosts. Our Lady pointed out this problem to her Son. Then, she gave the servants instructions that are equally applicable to us modern-day stewards. She says, “Do whatever He tells you.” Jesus gives the servants a simple and seemingly mundane task, telling them to fill some stone jars with water. They did what he told them to do — just as the Blessed Mother instructed. And Jesus used their obedience in the accomplishment of that simple task to perform His first miracle, turning that water into the choicest wine.

Our Lord didn’t have to include those servants in order to perform this miracle — He chose to. And today, 2,000-plus years later, He still chooses to include us in the performance of His miracles through our cooperation with Him in using the gifts and talents He has given us. What a privilege!

Let us take care to listen to our Blessed Mother. Let us examine our lives this week to see if we really are doing whatever He tells us and cooperating with God to make the best use of the gifts He has given us for the benefit of those around us. If we all take this call seriously, He will perform miracles in our families and our parish.

January 13, 2019 — The Baptism of the Lord

IS 42:1-4, 6-7 or IS 40:1-5, 9-11; PS 29:1-4, 9-10 or PS 104:1B-4, 24-25, 27-30; ACTS 10: 34-38 or TI 2:11-14; 3: 4-7; LK 3:15-16; 21-22

What a treasure trove of stewardship lessons we find in our Gospel reading today on this feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Today’s Gospel is one we read often, so it is easy to lose sight of just how incredible it is that Jesus wished to be baptized in the Jordan River by His cousin, John. We just spent the last two weeks marveling at the fact that this Savior of ours was born as a baby in a crude stable for our sake, and now this! Stop and contemplate our Lord in all His perfection waiting quietly and patiently in line with a bunch of sinners (like us!) in order to “lead by example.” His love and humility in serving and self-giving are beyond all telling.

Certainly, the sinless Savior did not need a baptism of repentance! John himself noted that in comparison to Jesus, he was not even worthy to loosen His sandal straps. But Jesus humbly made Himself one with his people to draw us to Him and create a relationship with us so that we would be open to His teachings and influence.

In response, we should be filled to overflowing with gratitude to such a gracious God — an overflow that must express itself in our own giving back to God through our sharing of time, talents and treasure. In fact, when we allow the words and actions of Jesus in the Gospel to enter deeply into our minds and hearts, we will be compelled to give ourselves to Him and others out of love for Him.

In addition to the gratitude that Jesus’ baptism should inspire, we can also study His actions at the Jordan River as a powerful example of the servant-leadership He displays time and again throughout His public ministry. We see in our Lord a style of leadership characterized by humility and leading by example.

As a servant-leader, we also see that Jesus leads by example. He doesn’t just tell the people they need to be baptized. He shows them how and does it Himself to teach them. To lead like Jesus we, too, must “walk the walk” and not just “talk the talk.” If we want those we lead at home, in ministry or at work to be generous and hard-working, then we must show them how to do this by demonstrating generosity and hard work ourselves.

And just in case there was any doubt about the extraordinary actions of Jesus that day at the Jordan River, we learn of the powerful affirmation of the Father who, immediately after the baptism, opens the heavens, sends the Holy Spirit upon Jesus in bodily form and says audibly, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased.” Wow!

Let us be filled with gratitude for our amazing God and be reminded that when we are grateful followers of Jesus and servant-leaders in imitation of Him, the Father will be well-pleased with us, too.

January 6, 2019 — The Epiphany of the Lord

IS 60: 1-6, PS 72:1-2,7-8, 10-13; EPH 3:2-3A, 5-6; MT 2:1-12

As we continue our celebration of the Christmas season, today we observe the great Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The word “epiphany” means “manifestation,” and throughout the Christmas readings, we have seen that the newborn King is eager to reveal Himself to all those willing to accept His presence in their lives.

From poor and humble shepherds, to the international group of magi featured in today’s Gospel passage, Jesus makes it clear that He offers Himself as a gift to everyone.

We also see throughout the scriptures that God uses what is familiar to us to draw us to Himself. He calls to fisherman using boats and nets and a great haul of fish. When speaking to farmers, He uses images of seeds and soil. In the case of the magi — or, astrologers — He uses a star. Our Lord continues to speak to each one of us today.

But we must be alert to “hear” and “see” Him in our daily lives.

How can we become better attuned to the ways God is speaking to us? We must strengthen our spiritual senses by spending time with the Lord in prayer every single day. In the same way that we set professional goals or exercise goals, we can set spiritual goals to ensure that we are taking the time to listen intentionally to God daily. This could be through 10 minutes of early morning Gospel reflection before the rest of the family is up for the day; it could be few moments at your desk at work before grabbing lunch; it could be a daily Rosary after dinner.

When we establish a regular and intentional time for prayer, we will find the Lord continues to speak to us throughout the day. We will more easily recognize the “stars” He places before us to draw us into closer relationship with Him. We will begin to see that He is indeed present in our lives at every moment.

Once we recognize His loving presence in our lives, we can take inspiration from the magi. Recognizing Jesus as King, they fell prostrate before Him in worship and awe. We, too, should be awestruck at the greatness of our God who has given us all that we have and whose love sustains our very existence. And, like the magi, we should offer Him gifts in gratitude for such great love. Rather than gold, frankincense and myrrh, the gifts that are most pleasing to the Lord from us are the gifts of our time (through prayer), our talents, and a trusting return of the material gifts with which He has blessed us.

In this next week as so many people around us are making New Year’s resolutions, let us make a spiritual resolution — to be more intentional about our prayer lives. The more time we spend with our Lord, the more we will become aware of His presence in our lives. We will find that our daily lives are filled with “epiphanies” of His love and, in addition to our time, we will gladly offer our talents and treasure to Him in grateful response.

December 30, 2018 — Feast of the Holy Family

SIR 3:2-6, 12-14 or 1 SM 1: 20,22, 24-28; PS 128: 1-5 or PS 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10; COL 3:12-21 or COL 3: 12-17; or 1 JN 3:1-2, 21-24; LK 2:41-52

Today’s Gospel reading on this Feast of the Holy Family gives us a glimpse into the childhood of Jesus with his Mother, Mary, and his foster father, Joseph. This is a family like no other — consisting of the very Son of God, Mary, Queen of all Saints, and St. Joseph, patron of the Universal Church. Yet as we see in today’s Scripture passage, they led a life typical of the families of their day. They experienced many of the same joys and trials that all parents and children experience even today. And so we can look to this Family for help in our own family lives and see in them a model of Stewardship in family life.

The Gospel passage, from Luke, starts by telling us something about Jesus’ parents: “Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.” In other words, this Family took seriously the Stewardship of their Time. The “Holy Couple” carefully observed the traditions and practice of their Jewish faith and brought up their Son to do the same. They worshiped as a family and with their faith community. And they did so faithfully.

We can take their example to heart by making Sunday Mass attendance a priority for our families, by making prayer with our family a priority every day, by making sure that we regularly celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, and by observing in our family life the feasts and fasts appropriate to the liturgical calendar. When we, as families, prioritize our Time with God and worship of Him we will be imitating the Holy Family.

And when we are faced with the inevitable challenges that come with family life, we will be far better equipped to handle them, just as the Holy Family did. We read just a few verses later in our scripture passage, that Mary and Joseph faced every parents’ worst nightmare — they can’t find Jesus! What parent cannot relate to this awful moment or at least the fear of such a moment. Perhaps a little child wanders off in the store and is physically missing as young Jesus was. Or perhaps an older child, though physically present, is spiritually or emotionally “missing” through addiction or loss of faith. In these times, too, we can look to the Holy Family for guidance. Mary’s very human initial reaction upon finding Jesus — “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” — comforts us in our own suffering as we realize that our Blessed Mother has been through difficult times in family life, too. The Holy Couple didn’t always understand their Divine Son. But they loved Him deeply and gave Him the best of themselves as parents. The Divine Son, though God, obeyed His parents, giving witness to the value of parents and family life.

On this Feast of the Holy Family, let us reclaim the beauty and importance of family life. Let’s commit to steward our families well in 2019, making time spent with God and practicing our faith the most important appointments on our family calendars. Let’s make 2019 a year in our parish like never before. Happy Feast Day, parish family!

December 23, 2018 — Fourth Sunday of Advent

MI 5:1-4A; PS 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19; HEB 10: 5-10; LK 1: 39-45

Our Blessed Mother takes center stage on this fourth Sunday of Advent, and fittingly so as we draw near to the celebration of her Son’s birth. After our Lord Himself, Mary is our model and guide to a stewardship way of life. We see her steward’s response in every passage of Scripture that relates to her, from her “yes” at the Annunciation, to her faithfulness at the foot of the Cross.

Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel in our “Alleluia” today captures her stewardship spirit: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word (Lk 1:38).” At the moment of the Annunciation, Mary recognized God’s gift to her and made a generous and trusting return to Him, offering her very self to God as His servant. This reply to such an overwhelming request — made by an angel, no less — shows us how extraordinary our Blessed Mother is. She is indeed “full of grace.”

But her response also displays the depth with which she possessed of two of the pillars of stewardship, Formation and Prayer. Because of her formation (in her own Jewish faith) she knew that a Messiah had long been prophesied and promised to her people. Because of her intimacy with God in prayer, she was ready to offer her “yes” to Him when asked to be mother of this Messiah.

Today’s Gospel passage, also from Luke, goes on to describe Mary’s actions immediately after her “yes” to the angel Gabriel’s message. We read that “Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah… and greeted Elizabeth.” Mary immediately begins to think of others before herself, setting out quickly to be with her cousin, modeling two other of the pillars of stewardship, Hospitality and Service. What warmth and humility the Mother of our Savior shows, traveling to Elizabeth to spend time with her, rejoicing with Elizabeth over her own incredible pregnancy, and assisting her in a time of need. And what joy this hospitality and service brings to Elizabeth who exclaims, “how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”

How beautifully our Blessed Mother models the mind and heart of a steward. It is an example that we, her children, can follow in our own lives 2,000 years later. With all the gifts God gives us — our time, our talents, our material possessions — we, too, can offer ourselves to God by using all these gifts to serve and glorify Him. In so doing, we will effectively to spread the Good News of the Gospel to the world around us today. We will be stewards after our Mother’s own heart.

December 16, 2018 — Third Sunday of Advent

ZEP 3:14-18A; IS 12:2-6; PHIL 4:4-7; LK3:10-18

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again: rejoice!”

We have arrived at Gaudete Sunday (Gaudete is the Latin word for “rejoice”) this Third Week of Advent, and the Scriptures take on a joyful tone as we continue our preparations for the feast of our Savior’s birth and ultimately for His Second Coming.

Our First Reading, from Zephaniah, certainly gives us cause to rejoice. “Fear not… be not discouraged! The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior.” Even more cause for joy, this Savior delights in us — “He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in His love, He will sing joyfully because of you.” How can we not be moved by a God who pursues us, who comes to us as Savior, and who actually sings for joy over us!

Our Second Reading gives still more cause for joy as St. Paul reminds us, “The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all.” Then he gives us a prescription for maintaining this peace: “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s instructions for obtaining peace come as an early Christmas gift. They remind us that we can and should go to God with all our needs and present them to Him along with our thanks. This guidance calls to mind aa vital aspect of a stewardship way of life: gratitude to God in response to His great love and countless gifts to us.

The Gospel passage, from Luke, shows us how to live out this thanks, making our lives a “Christmas gift” to Christ in joyful response to His love for us. When the crowds hear John the Baptist’s message that their Savior is coming, they ask him what they should do to prepare. He responds, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do the same.” He tells tax collectors to stop collecting more than is prescribed and soldiers, to be satisfied with their wages. In other words, he tells them to be good and generous stewards of all God’s gifts to them!

As the great feast of Christmas draws near, let us rejoice in Christ’s extravagant love. Let’s avail ourselves of the peace He longs to give us. And let’s look carefully at our lives to make sure we are indeed making of them a gift fitting for Him. When we get this “gift” right, all the other gifts and to-do’s on our Christmas list will fall into their proper place.

December 9, 2018 — Second Sunday of Advent

BAR 5:1-9; PS 126: 1-6; PHIL 1: 4-6, 8-11; LK 3: 1-6

The readings for the Second Week of Advent offer both encouragement and challenge during this brief but important season of the liturgical year. Recall from last week that the purpose of this season is reflection on and preparation for the two “comings” of Christ — His coming as a baby on the great feast of Christmas, and the anticipation of His second coming at the end of time.

Our First Reading, from Baruch, is a wonderful reminder of that God has already triumphed over sin and death and that we, His faithful disciples, will live in the light of His glory one day. “Up, Jerusalem! Stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God… For God has commanded that every loft mountain be made low…that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God… for God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.”

Until He comes again, we must remain faithful to Him as true disciples and good stewards of all the gifts He has given us. While it can be tempting to give in to the materialism and calls for self-indulgence that surround us, (ironically more than ever at this time of year), this reading calls us back to the spiritual reality that this life is passing and that we are made for eternal life with God. We are called to prepare for eternal life by the way that we use our time, our talents and our treasure now.

In the Second Reading, the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, Paul gives us a pep talk as we make our stewardship journey, and we modern-day disciples can take heart in his words. He tells us, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul reminds us of two important realities that should greatly encourage us. First, that the stewardship way of life is very much a journey. We don’t have to have every aspect of our life perfectly nailed down; we are all “works in progress”’ called simply to take one step at a time closer to Christ. Second, it is God who started this good work in us — on the day of our Baptism — He cares deeply about this journey of ours and He will give us all the grace and strength we need to stay faithful to Him and continue growing in love and imitation of Christ.

The Gospel reading from Luke shows us how personal and detailed is God’s love for humanity as He prepared the way for Christ’s coming among us. We are told the precise time, place and person, John the Baptist, He appointed to announce the arrival of our Savior. Through John, we are told how to celebrate to the fullest this first “coming” on the feast of Christmas and how to prepare for the second coming — through repentance.

This Advent let’s turn away from any bad habits or sin that may have crept in to our lives and turn our hearts and minds back to Christ. This is what the stewardship way of life is all about —moving ever closer in relationship with Christ and imitation of Him, ready to celebrate His birth, with eyes fixed on eternal life with Him.

December 2, 2018 — First Sunday of Advent

JER 33: 14-16; PS 25:4-5,8-9,10,14; 1THES 3:12-4:2; LK 21:25-28, 34-36

We have arrived at the powerful season of Advent, a season to prepare with awe and gratitude for the Feast of the Incarnation of Jesus, born to us as Savior and Brother. A season to prepare for His return at the end of time. It is also a moment to remind ourselves that our individual judgment day is coming, too — the moment when we will be called to give an account for all the love God has shown us and the gifts He has given us during our lifetime.

An important document on stewardship published by the Diocese of Wichita titled The Pillars of Parish Stewardship says,“God reveals His perfect and infinite love for us most visibly in His son, Jesus Christ. A steward makes God’s love visible by imitating Jesus… Stewardship is the response of the disciple to God’s unconditional love for us. Stewards bask in the wonder and awe of God’s love” Or, in other words, Advent is a steward’s season!

Our readings for the first week of Advent waste no time in calling our urgent attention to these themes of reflection and preparation. They seem to shout, “Wake up! Get ready!” and offer us some practical advice to make the most of this Season.

The Gospel, from Luke, warns, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” How easy it is to lose focus on our Lord either by too much indulgence in our lives or by too much worry about our lives. Both extremes are easy to fall prey to. To avoid these traps this we are told to “be vigilant” and “pray for strength to sustain us.” During Advent, we Christian stewards must ask ourselves some hard questions. Am I staying faithful to my prayer life? Am I using my energy and skills to serve others? Am I overly concerned about material gain? Am I relying my “stuff” or my investments as my source of comfort or security? Am I living for the moment or for the coming of the Lord?

Our Second Reading, from Thessalonians, offers us a beautiful Advent prayer as we move through this season of reflection and preparation. Let us make it our prayer for each other: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all… so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.”

Get ready Christian stewards! He’s coming! Let us prepare with awe and wonder.

November 25, 2018 —The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

DN 7: 12-14; PS 93: 1-2, 5; REV 1: 5-8; JN 18: 33B-37

Today, our last Sunday of Ordinary Time for this liturgical year, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, at a time when the world was experiencing a rise of secularism, materialism and individualism and an increasing denial of Christ’s existence and authority. The hope was that the establishment of this feast would accomplish three goals — that nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, that leaders and nations would see that they are required to give respect to Christ, the King of kings, and that the faithful would be strengthened and encouraged by the reminder that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills and bodies.

Our First Reading, from, Daniel, predicts a time when Christ will indeed “receive dominion, glory and kingship” and “all peoples, nations, and languages will serve him in an everlasting dominion that will never be destroyed.” The Second Reading, from Revelation, describes Christ as ruler of the kings of the earth and describes the day when He will come “amid the clouds and every eye will see him.” In the Gospel we hear the words of Christ Himself. As He is questioned by Pilate, Christ declares, “My kingdom does not belong to this world” but that He “came into the world to testify to the truth.”

This feast is needed more than ever for all people and for us especially, as Christian stewards. It reminds us of three vital truths. First, even when it seems the world is spinning out of control, we need not fear because we have a King of kings who is very much in charge and who is loving, merciful and just. Second, if Christ is king of all, then He is also king of me, personally. I am not “lord” of my time, talents, and treasure. He is. I am a servant of the King and a steward of His gifts to me. Third, as His disciple, I am called to imitate my King. Christ’s kingship is characterized by humble service, by emptying Himself for the good of others, The Scriptures tell us He went about doing good and He says of Himself, “I came not to be served but to serve.” How can I live in any other way than as a humble servant like my King?

This week, on the verge of a new Church year and the holy season of Advent, is an ideal time to take stock of our priorities, to see if we really are allowing Christ to reign in all aspects of our daily lives; to ask if He comes first in our schedules, our budgets, the use of our skills and talents. It’s also a great moment to celebrate! We are not only servants of Christ the King, we are also His brothers and sisters. This should fill us with great joy. After celebrating the Holy Eucharist, take some time to celebrate at home, too. Bake a cake, take a walk, put on some music and dance with your kids. Christ is King!