March 17, 2019 — Second Sunday of Lent

GN 15:5-12, 17-18; PS 27:1, 7-9, 13-14; PHIL 3:17-4:1 or PHIL 3:20-4:1; LK 9:28B-36

In last week’s Gospel, we followed Jesus into the desert where He fasted and prayed. This week, He leads us up a mountain to witness His Transfiguration. Why both of these experiences?

He is preparing us to go with Him in a few short weeks to a hilltop, Golgatha, where He will lay down His life for our sake — and finally to take us to an empty cave where He triumphed over sin and death once and for all.

Jesus perfectly understands our humanity. He knows we need desert experiences — times of self-denial and testing — in order to arrive at mountain-top moments when we see and feel His glorious presence in our lives. The purpose of these two types of experiences is summed up in the description of the Apostles who were with Jesus at that mountain-top experience in today’s Gospel: “Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory….”

The reason for all of our fasting and prayer and almsgiving during lent is to be reawakened to all God has done for humanity and to all that He has done for each of us personally. It is all too easy to get lulled into complacency in our daily routines, to “sleepwalk” through life, getting up and getting ourselves and maybe kids out the door, going to work, returning home for dinner and dishes, meetings or sports activities, and finally flopping on the couch to watch TV until bedtime. While there is nothing inherently sinful in this routine, as Christian stewards we are called to so much more!

We are called to be fully awake and fully alert to the love of the Holy Trinity that dwells within us through our Baptism and surrounds us at every moment. How do we know this is true? We wouldn’t be alive at all but for the love of God that sustains us second by second! And we would not have eternal salvation and the perfect joy of heaven awaiting us if Jesus had not come and died for us.

The disciplines of lent are not meant to make us miserably “hangry” until Easter arrives, and we can eat chocolate in peace once again. The prayer and fasting and offering of ourselves to the poor are intended to shake us free from any apathy that has crept in to our lives so that we can see His glory in everyday moments.

When we intentionally set aside time for prayer, He will give us exactly the wisdom we need to face what comes later in the day. When we bring a little discomfort into our lives by the sacrifices we make, we realize just how weak and dependent we are on Him. When we reach out to those who have less materially, we realize the abundance of blessings we have. These are mountain-top moments. They bring us back to our senses and fill us with gratitude to God — which in turn spurs us on to give Him more of ourselves in the sharing of our time, talents, and treasure.

In this way, we train ourselves, or more precisely, we allow Him to train us to say “Yes” to His will and to offer our lives back to Him. In so doing we, too, become “transfigured.” This is what it means to live fully awake; this is a stewardship way of life and it is glorious indeed.

March 10, 2019 — First Sunday of Lent

DT 26: 4-10; PS 91:1-2, 10-15; ROM 10: 8-13; LK 4: 1-13

And so it begins — the holy and, for some, daunting, season of Lent. This is the season in our liturgical year when the Church encourages us to increase our prayer, fasting and almsgiving in order to enter more deeply into the mystery of our Lord’s Passion and Death and to celebrate more fully His Resurrection. Our outlook as Christian stewards can help us embrace this season with enthusiasm and even joy.

The First Reading, from Deuteronomy, presents a beautiful and positive way to approach Lent. The passage begins with Moses speaking to the people. He reminds them that the Lord saw their affliction and responded mercifully to their cry by delivering them from oppression in Egypt, and by bringing them to a land flowing with milk and honey. Moses teaches the people how they should respond to such a wonderful God. He instructs them to approach the Lord with these words: “Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have given me.” In other words, Moses teaches the people to respond as grateful stewards for all that God has done for them.

As grateful stewards ourselves, we can look at these 40 days as “soil” that God is giving us as a gift to grow closer to Him and become more like Him. We can choose to use each of these days intentionally to make a generous response to our God, who sent His own Son to deliver us from the affliction and oppression caused by sin.

Jesus, by His own example in today’s Gospel, demonstrates the necessity of setting aside a period of time devoted especially to prayer and fasting as a means of strengthening our spiritual muscles. Just before the launch of His public ministry, He is “led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.” In imitation of Jesus, we should ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into the desert, too — the desert of our interior lives where our thoughts and desires reside.

While our Lord was strong enough to withstand the temptations of the devil on His own, we most certainly are not! We must turn to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show us where we need to grow interiorly and then rely on the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance throughout these forty days of growth.

We may discover we are weak in our knowledge of the faith and can devote these Lenten days to spiritual reading or Bible study. We may discover our prayer life has gone by the wayside and we must discipline ourselves anew and commit to a regular, daily time for prayer. Perhaps we have given in to selfishness and comfort seeking and we can determine to give up our favorite coffee drink or social media “fix” and find a project that serves the poor in our community.

If these spiritual exercises hurt a little, that means we are doing them right!  It means we will have some wonderful “first fruits” to present to our Lord at the close of this season; we will be prepared to enter into the grace-filled days of the Triduum and we will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be resurrected as a new creation with our Lord come Easter. Let us begin!

February 24, 2019 — Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 SM 26: 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; PS 103: 1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 COR 15: 45-49; LK 6: 27-38

In today’s Gospel taken from the sixth chapter of Luke, Jesus offers a very challenging, seemingly impossible approach to daily life. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak do not withhold even your tunic.” It makes one want to say, “Seriously, Lord?” And He doesn’t stop there. Jesus adds, “Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.”

It seems so unfair! Unless, that is, we look at this way of life from a stewardship point of view. Then, not only does it seem doable (though challenging), it actually makes perfect sense. A steward understands clearly that all he has and all that he is — his very life — is a gift from God given to him from an unfathomable abundance of love. This changes everything! This means “my” cloak, “my” tunic, “my” money and time — all of it ultimately belongs to God. He has entrusted these things to each of us in love to use for His purposes and His glory.

Does this mean we are to be passive “doormats” to anyone who wants to take advantage of us? Certainly not. Jesus explains this in the next verse of this passage when He says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” As the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus understands human nature well. He knows that we naturally desire only good and nothing bad for ourselves. And there is nothing wrong with loving oneself since God loves us and has made us in His own image and likeness. Jesus is simply asking that we also approach others, and the sharing of our gifts, with this same attitude. He is giving us a definition here of real love, a steward’s love!

In fact, Jesus tells us that anything short of this is not love at all. “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.”

We are made for much higher than that. Jesus says instead, “Love your enemies and do good to them and lend expecting nothing back.” That is true greatness in God’s view. When we love like that, He promises our “reward in heaven will be great.” A stewardship way of life is a life worth living because it is modeled after nothing less than our Most High God.

And if that is still not incentive enough to embrace this way of life, Jesus gives us one more bit of loving motivation. “Give and gifts will be given to you: a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” Our wonderful God and Father simply will not be outdone in love. Be generous with your gifts — with your life — and just watch what He will do!

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.