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Fourth SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - JANUARY 30, 2022
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How do I know if the Time, Talent, and Treasure I offer God in grateful return are “enough?” What is the measure?
St. Paul tells us in the Second Reading today — the “measure” is the love that we put into each of these aspects of our lives. “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 are 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. It lives like Jesus.
Sometimes, 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.
— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants
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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 23, 2022
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In St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, it states “If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is there are many parts, yet one body” (1 COR 12:18-20).
What does this teach us as Christian stewards? It shows us that we all have equal dignity and worth in God’s sight, and that if God sees us as equally precious, we should view each other in this same light. It teaches us to humbly recognize our own gifts as well as the giftedness of every member of our parish family. And, while God designed us to be ultimately dependent on Him, it seems He has also designed us to need each other!
This is part of the beauty and richness of a stewardship way of life. No one person can “do it all” in life — whether in family life or parish life. But God does not ask us to do it all. He simply asks us to share the gifts and talents we do have in the season of life we find ourselves right now. It might feel uncomfortable at first. But the good news it you don’t have to do it all. Do your part, let your brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ do theirs, and know that the Spirit of the Lord is upon us all as we live out this stewardship way of life.
— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants
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sEcond Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 16, 2022
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Today’s 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 that the wine had run out and pointed out the problem to Jesus. Then, she gave the servants instructions that are equally applicable to us modern-day stewards, saying, “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. And Jesus used their obedience in the accomplishment of that simple task to perform His first miracle, turning the 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’s examine our lives this week to see if we really are “doing whatever He tells us,” 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.
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.
— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants
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Baptism of the LOrd - January 9, 2022
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As we celebrate this feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we can study His actions at the Jordan River as a powerful example of servant leadership. We see in Jesus a type of leadership that is characterized by humility and leading by example.
Certainly, the sinless Savior did not need a baptism of repentance! 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. 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 who we lead to be generous and hard-working, then we must show them how to do this by demonstrating generosity and hard work ourselves.
Immediately after His baptism, we learn of the powerful affirmation of the Father who 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.” 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.
— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants
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the Epiphany of the Lord - january 2, 2022
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Today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. For centuries we as Catholics celebrated this Feast on Jan. 6, but the decision was made a number of years ago (at least in the United States) to celebrate the Epiphany on the Sunday which falls between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8.
“Epiphany” means “manifestation.” It is on this day that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is revealed as the light of all nations. Officially Christmas is not over. In fact, the recommendation of the Church is that on this day those who display a crèche, a nativity or manger scene, should replace the shepherd and sheep with the Magi and their likely animals on which they traveled as well as their gifts. However, that is all secondary to the real meaning of this day.
At Christmas the Messiah Jesus was revealed to the shepherds, who were Jewish. But on this day the Lord is revealed to all nations and to the Gentiles (represented by the Magi). We are all familiar with the star the Magi followed, but we need to understand all that is happening and what it means. This all represents the Light of Christ, a Light which today we honor and commemorate. We are called to be the Light of Christ right now to those around us and those with whom we come in contact. That way we can be the disciples Christ wants us to be.
The poet William Cullen Bryant captures the significance of the star the Magi followed very well when he wrote, “O Father, may that Holy Star, Grow every year more bright, And send its glorious beams afar, To fill the world with light.”
— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants
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