November 2020

Today we begin the beautiful and holy season of Advent. With all that we have going on this time of year, it’s no wonder Advent that does not always seem to get the attention it deserves.  But if we will commit to living this season well, we will experience a deeper conversion to Christ and find real transformation in our lives as Christian stewards.

Why? Advent calls us not only to look back in grateful contemplation of Christ’s first coming, but it also calls us to look forward in preparation for His Second Coming. Advent is a time to reset and regroup, to repent over any misplaced priorities, to turn our minds and hearts back to God while we still have time. We do so not out of fear or guilt, but rather, out of gratitude for Love Incarnate lying in a manger bed.

Whatever we feel God calling us to do this Advent — committing to a daily Gospel reflection, visiting a lonely neighbor, or donating money to those in dire need — there is no time to waste.

Jesus makes this clear in our Gospel passage from Matthew. He tells the parable of a man going off on a journey. Before he leaves, he “places his servants in charge, each with his own work.” We, of course, are the servants in this parable, each with a mission to accomplish in building the Kingdom of God. Jesus warns us over and over in this passage to remain vigilant to the work He has given us to do because we do not know when we will be called to give an account for it.

Our lives are a gift. This holy season is a gift. Let us recommit to living the stewardship way of life. Love came down to us as a Baby. And He is coming again. Be watchful!

— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants

Today we come to the end of the liturgical year, celebrating the magnificent feast of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Our readings provide contrasting images of this King of ours — He has authority overall, and yet, He is humble and tender in His care for us, especially the most vulnerable. 

How can we properly honor and love such a King? By offering Him our very lives through the stewardship way of life.

The Gospel passage from Matthew shows us how. The passage begins with Christ’s own description of His Second Coming, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.” Then the moment of judgment will come. Some will be invited into the Kingdom of Heaven — the others to eternal punishment. 

This judgment will be based not on how influential we became in society, how high we climbed the corporate ladder, nor any “worldly” achievements, in fact. Rather our judgment will be based on how we treated the least of those around us, whom Jesus calls His brothers. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” To make His point very clear, Jesus gives specifics — feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, showing hospitality to the stranger, caring for the ill, and imprisoned.

The more deeply we embrace the stewardship way of life, the more closely our priorities will align with His. 

— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants

We are reminded today that we will each be called to give an account for the gifts God has given us — our physical, intellectual, and material gifts — as well as the gift of time itself.

Jesus illustrates this truth in our Gospel passage from Matthew. He tells the story — commonly known as the Parable of the Talents — of a wealthy man who is about to go on a journey. Before he leaves, the man calls his three servants to “entrust his possessions to them.”

The master in our parable gives to the care of each servant a portion of his money (“talent”) commensurate with that servant’s abilities. The first two prove to be good and faithful servants — they “immediately” put the talents to use, doubling what had been entrusted to them. The third servant reacted to this responsibility with fear — in fact, he did the opposite. He hid master’s talent, burying it in the ground. He took the safe way, the easy way out.

What a tragic response! This servant did not understand his master at all. He failed to see what a privilege he had been given. The master wanted to give all his servants the joy and satisfaction of helping him grow his kingdom. This is what our Heavenly Father wants for us, too — the incredible privilege of helping to advance the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Let us embrace the stewardship way of life, using all the gifts entrusted to us — Time, Talents, and Treasure — in such a way that at the end of our life on this earth, we will hear these words from our Father: “Well done, my good and faithful servant… Come, share your master’s joy.”

— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants

Wisdom is a central theme in our readings today. It is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, key to living the stewardship way of life in our complex world. As Christian stewards, we should rely on this gift and ask the Holy Spirit to increase it within us.

Jesus teaches the importance of wisdom in our Gospel passage from Matthew. He tells the parable of ten virgins awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom who will welcome them into the wedding feast. Five of the virgins were foolish and five were wise. The foolish virgins failed to bring oil along with their lamps when they went to meet the bridegroom. The wise ones, however, had prepared and brought sufficient oil to keep their lamps lit when the bridegroom came. The foolish virgins, caught off guard, ran off to buy more oil, but they were too late. The door to the wedding feast was locked to them. Jesus cautions, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” 

The stewardship way of life — with its daily and weekly commitments to giving God the best of our Time, Talents, and Treasure — is the “oil” that we keep with us at all times. When we have this plan in place and we rely deeply on the Holy Spirit to guide us through the twists and turns of each day, we are free, we are ready to answer the Bridegroom when He calls us. We live in wisdom.
 

— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants

On this Feast of All Saints, we have the profound joy of celebrating our big brothers and sisters in Christ: the saints! This is an especially meaningful feast for us as Christian stewards. 

At our Baptism, we all receive the call to holiness and discipleship — in other words, the call to sainthood. If we wish to go to Heaven, we must strive to become saints! Thankfully, through the stewardship way of life, we can each discover our unique path to do just that.

In our Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus reveals His Beatitudes. In them, our Lord lays out the characteristics that mark His disciples, His saints-in-the-making. As we examine, tweak, and update our commitments to the stewardship way of life, we must always keep these Beatitudes in mind as a measure of our progress towards saintliness. 

The “blessed” that our Lord speaks of are not the different types of good people who get to go to Heaven. Rather, the “blessed” are the characteristics of the disciples of Christ. These characteristics — poor in spirit, mourners, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, clean of heart, peacemakers, persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and insulted — can only be obtained with an abundance of grace. But we are children of God, so we have access to the infinite treasury of God’s grace. 

Armed with that grace and the stewardship way of life, we can have firm hope that one day we will join our big brothers and sisters in the never-ending joys and celebration of Heaven. 

— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants