Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Stewardship and the Sunday Readings - August 2010

August 1
Virtues of the Disciple & Christian Steward: Responsibility
“Well done good and faithful servant” Matt 25:19


To be responsible is to first understand that we are not our own masters. Neither are we the owners of all that we possess. We belong to God, and all that we possess is a gift from God. Every gift comes with a responsibility. How do we use it? More importantly how do we share it? One day God will require an accounting of the use each person has made of the particular gifts entrusted to him or her.

August 8
Virtues of the Disciple & Christian Steward: Gratitude
“A grateful heart silences a complaining voice.” Bishop Eugene Gerber

Being a Christian steward means living each day in gratitude, not envy. It is hard to always be wanting more when you have a grateful heart. The secret to happiness is not found in having what you want, but in wanting what you have. Good stewards count their blessings while everyone else is adding up their problems.

August 15
Virtues of the Disciple & Christian Steward: Generosity
“Mature disciples make a conscious, firm decision, carried out in action to be followers of Jesus Christ no matter the cost to themselves.” Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response

What is authentic generosity? It is born out of gratitude. For the Christian steward it means needing to give’ not simply ‘giving to a need’ in order to relieve ourselves of guilt or obligation. Authentic generosity means we freely give of ourselves, our lives, and our possessions, without counting the cost.

August 22
Virtues of the Disciple & Christian Steward: Simplicity
“Live simply so that others may simply live” Blessed Mother Teresa

Embracing a simpler lifestyle enables us to live more generously. Simple living is also the antidote for “affluenza,” the social disease caused by rampant consumerism and materialism. A Prayer for Simplicity: Lord, grant me the grace to be free from the excesses of this life. Let me not get caught up with the desire for wealth. Keep my heart and mind free to love and serve you. Amen.

August 29
Virtues of the Disciple & Christian Steward: Mercy
“Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.’ I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.” Matt 9:12-14

One of the greatest measures of mercy is the commitment to be compassionate towards everyone we meet. We pray that we will always be a community that welcomes all people with love and compassion.

September 5
Virtues of the Disciple & Christian Steward: Perseverance
“My life is like a drink offering being poured out on the altar. I have fought well. I have finished the race, and I have been faithful” 2 Tim 4:6-7.

Discipleship and stewardship is a way of life that is both joyful and rewarding, while at the same time being challenging and sometimes difficult. Be persistent, patient and persevere! It has its rewards both in this life and in the life to come.

Courtesy of Dan Potvin, Archdiocese of Winnipeg, ICSC Newsletter, August 2010


August Stewardship Reflections

August 1, 2010 – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Take care to guard against all greed.” Luke 12:13-21

Greed is a very insidious and seductive emotion. It is at the root of all sin. It was a factor in the sin of the first man and woman in the Garden. They were not content to be grateful for all God had given them. They wanted to be God. George Carlin had a comedy routine about stuff. He said that we get stuff and then we need to get a house to put our stuff. Then we get more stuff. So we need a bigger house for our stuff. We go on vacation and take some of our stuff. But we buy stuff we don’t need and come home with more stuff. Our lives are filled with stuff. And we get very attached to our stuff. Our attachment to our stuff stems from our erroneous belief that we are the source of all of our stuff and that we acquired it out of our own effort and ingenuity. When we acknowledge God as the source of all that we are and all that we have and all that we ever will be, we can enjoy the stuff we have and share it with others without being obsessed about getting and keeping more stuff than we really need to enjoy life.


August 8, 2010 – Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“For where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.” Luke 12:32-48

The trash we put on the curb to be discarded reveals much about who we are and what we do in life. It contains the packaging of the products that we treasure. It reveals where our hearts are. What is in our trash? Is it packaging from the latest electronic games, the best type of athletic equipment, the current fashion in clothes (no matter how revealing), the appliances with the most features, containers that held gourmet foods, too many empty liquor bottles and beer cans, and the shredded documents of the fortune we are trying to amass? There are some people whose hearts are not revealed by their trash. They have no trash. Sadly, they have nothing to throw away. They do not have sufficient food and they have very little clothing. We would do well to remember these words of Jesus, “Much will be required of the person who has much, and still more of the person entrusted with more.” When we bring our trash to the curb we should ask, “How much treasure have I been entrusted with? What does this trash reveal about my heart?”

August 15, 2010 – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Luke 1:42

On November 1, 1950 Pope Pius XII, in his Encyclical Letter Munificentissimus Deus, proclaimed, declared and defined to be divinely revealed dogma that “...the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” Some ask why, how, when, and where? Those are fair questions. The simple answer is “It’s a mystery!” But it is more important to ask, “Why not?” Why would Jesus not want to honor the young girl who accepted God’s call to be his mother (at great risk to her life), who carried him in her womb and gave birth to him in a cave, who watched him grow and was with him when he died on a cross, and who rejoiced at his Resurrection by assuming her uncorrupted body to be with him in heaven for eternity? The world would be a much better place if we all honored our parents, family, friends and the strangers who often do so much for us that we do not appreciate! Once again Jesus reveals to us that gratitude is the beginning of generosity.

August 22, 2010 – Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

“I do not know where you are from.” Luke 13:22-30

What will we do if Jesus speaks those words to us when we finally meet him? Will our faces go pale and our knees buckle? Will we be very frightened? Will we mumble, “I ate and drank in your company and you taught me”? What if Jesus ask us, “But what did you learn? Did you eat and drink in the company of the hungry, the homeless, the naked, the oppressed, the diseased? Do they know where you are from?” If people in need in our world know where we are from, Jesus will know where we are from. He will recognize us right away. He will be anxiously waiting for us to enter into his presence. Jesus is very clear: “People will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at the table in the Kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Where do we want to be when we all take our places in the God’s Kingdom, last or first?

August 29, 2010 – Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, the unwanted; blessed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” Luke 14:1, 7-14

A parishioner noted to his pastor that Jesus dined with the rich and famous of his day. He asked, “Do you think Jesus would belong to an exclusive country club if he were here today?” The pastor answered, “I suspect he might, if he could afford it. But his guests would include people who could not afford it, people who need a bath and a new set of clothes, people who have not recently had a decent meal, people who are lame, who limp, or feel their way with a white cane.” The pastor then said to his parishioner, “You belong to a very exclusive country club. Have you ever brought such guest to your club?” The man said nothing. He had many possessions. The pastor added, “When we leave Mass and go into God’s world we are supposed to be Jesus present in that world. So, when you are at your exclusive country club Jesus is a member. You might want to start reviewing your guest list.”

Submitted by Deacon Jerry Martinez of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, ICSC Stewardship Newsletter, August 2010

Agosto 1, 2010 – Décimo Octavo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

“Mirad, y guardaos de toda codicia.” San Lucas 12:13-21

La codicia es una emoción muy insidiosa y seductiva. Está en la raíz de todo pecado. Fue un factor del pecado del primer hombre y la primera mujer en el Paraíso. Ellos no estuvieron satisfechos de estar agradecidos por todo lo que Dios les había dado. Ellos quisieron ser Dios. George Carlin hizo una rutina en una comedia acerca de las cosas. El dijo que: obtenemos
cosas y entonces necesitamos obtener una casa para poner nuestras cosas. Entonces necesitamos obtener más cosas. Así que nosotros, necesitamos una casa más grande para nuestras cosas. Vamos de vacaciones y tomamos algunas de nuestras cosas. Pero compramos cosas que no necesitamos y regresamos a casa con más cosas. Nuestras vidas están llenas con cosas. Y nosotros estamos muy apegados a nuestras cosas. Nuestro apego a nuestras cosas proviene de nuestra creencia errónea de que nosotros somos la fuente de todas nuestras cosas, y que las hemos adquirido con nuestro esfuerzo e ingenuidad. Cuando nosotros reconocemos a Dios como la fuente de todo lo que somos y de todo lo que tenemos, y de todo lo que seremos,
podemos disfrutar de las cosas que tenemos y compartirlas con otros, sin estar obsesionados por obtener y conservar más cosas de las que necesitamos realmente para disfrutar de la vida.

Agosto 8, 2010 – Décimo Noveno Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

“Porque donde está vuestro tesoro, allí estará también vuestro corazón.” San Lucas 12:32-48

La basura que ponemos en el borde de la acera para ser desechada revela mucho acerca de quienes somos y de lo que hacemos en la vida. Contiene los empaques de los productos que atesoramos. Revela donde están nuestros corazones. ¿Qué está en nuestra basura? ¿Son los empaques de nuestros últimos juegos electrónicos, el mejor tipo de equipo atlético, la moda
actual en ropa (no importa cuán reveladora sea), los aparatos con más características, contenedores que almacenaron alimentos gourmet, demasiadas botellas de licor y latas de cerveza vacías, y los trozos de documentos de la fortuna que tratamos de amasar? Hay personas de quienes sus corazones no están revelados por su basura. No tienen basura. Tristemente ellas no tienen nada que tirar. Ellas no tienen suficiente comida y tienen muy poca ropa. Nosotros haríamos bien si recordamos estas palabras de Jesús, “Mucho se le pedirá a quien mucho tiene, y más aún a quien más se le ha confiado.” Cuando llevemos nuestra basura a la acera, debemos preguntarnos ¿Cuánto tesoro me ha sido confiado? ¿Qué revela esta basura acerca de mi corazón?

Agosto 15, 2010 – Solemnidad de la Asunción de la Santísima Virgen María

“Bendita tú entre las mujeres, y bendito el fruto de tu vientre.” San Lucas 1:42

En noviembre 1 de 1950 el Papa Pío XII, en su Carta Encíclica Munificentissimus Deus, proclamó, declaró y definió que fuera dogma revelado divinamente el que “…la Inmaculada Madre de Dios, la siempre Virgen María, habiendo completado el curso de su vida terrenal, fue llevada cuerpo y alma a la Gloria del cielo.” Algunos preguntan ¿por qué, cómo, cuándo y dónde? Estas son preguntas justas. La respuesta es simple “Este es un misterio” Pero es más importante preguntar, ¿por qué no? ¿Por qué Jesús no querría honrar a la joven que aceptó el llamado de Dios para ser su madre (con un gran riesgo para su vida), quien lo llevó en su vientre y lo trajo a la vida en una cueva, quien lo vio crecer y estuvo con él cuando murió en una cruz, y quien se regocijó en su Resurrección; elevando su cuerpo incorrupto para estar con él en el cielo por toda la eternidad? El mundo sería un mejor lugar si todos honrásemos a nuestros padres, familiares, amigos y a los extraños que frecuentemente hacen mucho por nosotros y que no apreciamos. Una vez más Jesús nos revela que la gratitud es el principio de la generosidad.

Agosto 22, 2010 – Vigésimo Primer Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

“Os digo que no se de dónde sois.” San Lucas 13:22-30

¿Qué haremos si Jesús nos dice esas palabras cuando finalmente nos reunamos con él? ¿Nuestro rostro palidecerá y se doblarán nuestras rodillas? ¿Estaremos muy atemorizados? Murmuraremos, “Yo comí y bebí en tu compañía y tú me enseñaste.” Y si Jesús nos pregunta, ¿pero tú, qué aprendiste? ¿Comiste y bebiste en compañía del hambriento, el desamparado, el desnudo, el oprimido, o el enfermo? ¿Saben ellos de dónde eres? Si la gente en necesidad, en nuestro mundo, sabe de donde eres, Jesús lo sabrá también. Él nos reconocerá inmediatamente. Él estará esperando ansiosamente por nosotros para entrar en su presencia. Jesús es muy claro: “Vendrá gente del este y del oeste y del norte y del sur y se reclinará en la mesa en el Reino de Dios. Para contemplar, que algunos de los primeros serán de los últimos y algunos de los últimos serán de los primeros.” ¿Dónde queremos estar cuando todos tomemos nuestros lugares en el Reino de Dios, en los últimos o en los primeros?

Agosto 29, 2010 – Vigésimo Segundo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

“Llama a los pobres, los mancos, los cojos y los ciegos, y serás bienaventurado; porque ellos no te pueden recompensar.” San Lucas 14:1, 7-14

Un feligrés hizo notar a su pastor que Jesús cenó con ricos y famosos de ese tiempo. Él preguntó, ¿cree usted que Jesús pertenecería a un exclusivo club campestre si él estuviera aquí hoy? El pastor contestó, “Supongo que tal vez si él pudiera pagarlo. Pero sus invitados incluirían gente que no podría pagarlo, gente que necesitaría un baño o un nuevo juego de ropa, gente que no ha tenido recientemente una comida decente, gente paralítica, gente que cojea, o que guía sus pasos por medio de un bastón.” El pastor dijo entonces a su feligrés, “Tú perteneces a un exclusivo club campestre. ¿Has llevado alguna vez un invitado así a tu club?” El hombre no dijo nada. Él tiene muchas posesiones. El pastor agregó, “Cuando salimos de Misa y vamos al mundo de Dios, se supone que somos la presencia de Jesús en este mundo. Entonces, cuando tú estás en tu exclusivo club campestre Jesús es un miembro. Quizás quieras empezar a revisar tu lista de invitados.”

por: Diácono Jerry Martinez de la Arquidiócesis de New Orleans, ICSC Newsletter, August 2010