Second Sunday of Advent
Weekend of December 3/4, 2011
Today’s second reading is about Christ’s coming again,
“The day of the Lord,” Peter calls it, but that day isn’t December
25th. It’s that other day, that second-coming-day
about which Peter is concerned. He waits with great hope
and anticipation for God to remake the earth into a place
of perfect justice and peace. And he sets some demanding
goals for the Christian community as it awaits that final
day of accounting and reconciliation: strive to be at
peace, without spot or blemish. Christian stewards work
for peace. As we await the coming of Christmas, what can
we do to promote peace in our homes, workplaces, community,
world?
Third Sunday of Advent
Weekend of December 10/11, 2011
In today’s second reading Paul concludes his letter to the
Christian community at Thessalonica by providing it with
actions to take as they wait for the return of the Lord. The
first action is to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances.
This sounds easy but it’s not. The two words that
make this task difficult are “always” and “all”. This means
giving thanks and rejoicing even when our circumstances
are not always moments of joy and thanksgiving, or when
we are confronted with a broken world. Prayerful stewards
rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances because they
are people of hope. A good reflection this week would be
how the season of Advent can give you reason to hope.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Weekend of December 17/18, 2011
In today’s Gospel reading we hear proclaimed the story of
the Annunciation, when the angel of the Lord announced
to Mary that she would give birth to Christ through the
intercession of the Holy Spirit. Mary allowed God’s messenger
to speak to her. She was attentive, not afraid to enter
into a dialogue, then unconditionally obedient. Mary’s
acceptance of this mystery is a stewardship model for us.
Good stewards remain open to the incursions of divine life
into the normal course of their daily lives. How open are
we to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our own lives?
What might we do this last week of Advent to be more attentive
to the Lord?
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day)
Sunday, December 25, 2011
In today’s Christmas Mass at dawn we hear from the Gospel
reading that God has entered quietly into the world.
Not into the great city of Jerusalem, but into a small village
about five miles south. Not into a noble family, but to
an outcast couple keeping the newborn in a manger. Not
announced by royal edicts, but to common shepherds, the
first human heralds of Christ’s birth.
As Christian stewards we simply allow Christ to live in us
no matter what our circumstances happen to be. We allow
Christ to share his love with us and reflect that love out
to others. We now are the heralds of Christ’s Incarnation.
What an unimaginable gift from a generous Lord.Good
stewards rejoice in this gift and give glory to God.
Source: International Catholic Stewardship Council December Newsletter, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The Catholic Steward: Stewardship Education and Best Practices
Fr. Allan McDonald: First Fruits or Just Leftovers?
There’s no accounting for taste, they say. The poet James Russell Lowell enthused, “And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days.” However, I’ll go with November every time. The summer heat has broken and the leaves are turning their bright autumn colors, but except in the Far North the winter cold is still to come.
For most of the country, the fall also brings the completion of harvest. Although most Americans live in urban areas and many of us seldom even see a farm, the foods we all eat – fruits and vegetables, meats, milk, and the grain for our bread – come from farms and ranches across American and around the world. We may feel far away from farm life and think that the harvest has little to do with us, but we are connected with agriculture more closely than we realize. How the harvest goes affects the prices we pay; and if the harvest were to fail completely, there would soon be nothing available to put on our grocery shelves.
In the Old Testament world, most people were farmers, and the Israelites were to bring offerings to God from the harvest of their fields and flocks. The success of the harvest directly affected their wellbeing during the next year. At their agricultural festivals, “the measure of your own freewill offering shall be in proportion to the blessing the Lord, your God, has bestowed on you” (Dt 16:10) they were told.
So it is for us. We may not have a harvest of fruits or grains, but we do receive a return for our own labor, whether it be in a factory, an office, a classroom, or wherever. And, as stewards, we also are invited by God to return a portion to Him for His glory and our own spiritual welfare, in proportion to the blessings we have received.
As stewards, it’s ultimately a choice we make. Are we going to hoard everything we get, or are we going to give back to God a portion of what He gives us? When we give back to God, will we return just what’s left over after everything else is paid, or will our gifts have a higher priority? The Israelites brought the “first fruits of the various products” (Ex 26:2) they raised. The first fruits, rather than the leftovers. Is that the choice I will make? Is that the choice you will make?
Source: TheCatholicSteward.com Blog
There’s no accounting for taste, they say. The poet James Russell Lowell enthused, “And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days.” However, I’ll go with November every time. The summer heat has broken and the leaves are turning their bright autumn colors, but except in the Far North the winter cold is still to come.
For most of the country, the fall also brings the completion of harvest. Although most Americans live in urban areas and many of us seldom even see a farm, the foods we all eat – fruits and vegetables, meats, milk, and the grain for our bread – come from farms and ranches across American and around the world. We may feel far away from farm life and think that the harvest has little to do with us, but we are connected with agriculture more closely than we realize. How the harvest goes affects the prices we pay; and if the harvest were to fail completely, there would soon be nothing available to put on our grocery shelves.
In the Old Testament world, most people were farmers, and the Israelites were to bring offerings to God from the harvest of their fields and flocks. The success of the harvest directly affected their wellbeing during the next year. At their agricultural festivals, “the measure of your own freewill offering shall be in proportion to the blessing the Lord, your God, has bestowed on you” (Dt 16:10) they were told.
So it is for us. We may not have a harvest of fruits or grains, but we do receive a return for our own labor, whether it be in a factory, an office, a classroom, or wherever. And, as stewards, we also are invited by God to return a portion to Him for His glory and our own spiritual welfare, in proportion to the blessings we have received.
As stewards, it’s ultimately a choice we make. Are we going to hoard everything we get, or are we going to give back to God a portion of what He gives us? When we give back to God, will we return just what’s left over after everything else is paid, or will our gifts have a higher priority? The Israelites brought the “first fruits of the various products” (Ex 26:2) they raised. The first fruits, rather than the leftovers. Is that the choice I will make? Is that the choice you will make?
Source: TheCatholicSteward.com Blog
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