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Our commitment to Stewardship is integral to holiness and necessary for a fruitful mission. The Letter of James tells us that “every generous act of giving with every perfect gift is from above,” (James 1:17). In response, we are called to be good stewards of the gifts entrusted to our care. We are called to nurture our gifts, share our gifts generously with others, and return them to the Lord with increase. At the end of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus calls his disciples to go out to the ends of the earth (the Great Commission) baptizing in the Trinity and teaching all that Jesus had taught. We are called to approach the mission of sharing the faith of Jesus Christ with a new vigor, with creativity, with increased love, and with abundant joy.
In the early 1900’s, the United States Catholic Bishops collectively prayed and reflected on the hallmarks of Christian discipleship. Grounded by many solid Biblical foundations, the bishops concluded that a disciple of Jesus is truly a thankful, responsible and generous caretaker of God’s many blessings. Based on several parables and the many apostolic instructions, Jesus’ disciples understood they were to share their gifts with others. They believed in a provident Lord who multiplied meager offerings of bread and fish.
Guided by Scripture, we believe that the Christian steward is a person whose prayer leads to a constant awareness that God is the creator of all blessings in life - spiritual and material. In this way, God calls us to holiness. When we prayerfully discern our God-given gifts and selflessly share them with others, we not only build up the Church, we give glory to God. Jesus presented the ultimate gift to God - the gift of His life - and we, too, are called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps by: receiving God’s gifts gratefully, developing our gifts responsibly, and returning our gifts and all we have been able to do with them to the Lord.
Nemo dat quod non habet – You can’t give what you don’t have. In order for all Christians to fulfill our call to holiness and discipleship, we have to know the person of Jesus Christ as our Lord and as our friend. We can’t give what we do not have and we also cannot share the one whom we do not know. Do we recognize Christ as gift and do we nurture our relationship with him? Stewardship is a disciple’s response to God and an intentional commitment to use our gifts wisely and generously to build the Kingdom of God. As we give gratitude for our gifts and care for them, we witness our stewardship in our daily lives through: Stewardship of Creation - we respect life, protect the environment, and advance our world with humble human labor; Stewardship of Vocation - we carry out God’s unique and individual role as a disciple and Stewardship of the Church - we share our time, talent and treasure to fulfill the mission of the parish, diocese and universal Church.
Here, at Our Lady of Lourdes we have been so richly blessed in so many ways. Our greatest blessing is Jesus Christ and our faith in him. Jesus is the great gift freely given by God the Father. On October 26, packets were mailed to every household. I ask that you prayerfully discern your own gifts and whether you can increase your gifts to the Lord and to this community. Please fill out your Stewardship pledge and return them to the parish by December 1 st. Our stewardship weekends are a strong step in continuing our work as a vibrant parish, a community of missionary disciples and generous, holy stewards who joyfully share our faith in Jesus Christ!
With Gratitude,
Fr. Griffith