33rd Sunday - Stewardship - A Way of Life

 

The Gospel today speaks about the parable of the master, who trusts three stewards, with his money and possessions, as he plans to go on a journey. When returning from his journey, the master discovers, two of the three stewards were wise, and so increased his wealth. He told them, “Well done, my good and faithful servant(s). Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come share your master’s joy!”

However, one steward did nothing with the one talent he received, and so the master told the unfaithful steward, “You wicked lazy servant! Throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

This parable, reminds us of stewardship. God entrusts each and everyone one of with time, talent, and treasure in order to glorify Him, and His kingdom. Some receive greater and some lesser talents than others, yet all are called to use their gifts for God and neighbor.

Msgr. McGread, who founded Stewardship at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Wichita, and throughout the diocese of Wichita said, “Stewardship is about giving back to God the first and best we have in thanksgiving for all He’s given us.” He said, “The biggest mistake people make is that they think stewardship is a finance program. It’s not. It’s a spirituality program.” It’s not about asking for money. It’s about getting people to come to church, to practice their faith, and to be disciples of Christ.

The diocese of Wichita is known nationally for its practice of stewardship and many other dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Chicago, have asked us to help them with stewardship. Bishop Robert Morneau, the bishop of the diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, said, “The core of stewardship is gratitude, a gratitude that overflows into giving as a way of thankfulness for all that God has given us.”

A parishioner from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Wichita said, “When you realize that everything you have and everything you do is from God, then you have a completely different reason for giving—your giving back to God in thanksgiving.”

If we examine all that we have, we can see everything that we have, comes from God. God gave us a job in order to provide an income for our family. God has given us the gift of an education, which some societies do not have as an opportunity. God has given us freedom to live our faith. He has given us our Catholic faith, our family and our heritage. God has given us talents to hold down a job, so that we use money to buy clothes, food, and a home. He has given us transportation to travel by way cars, boats, trains and airplanes, to see His wonderful creation including the flint hills, and also the mountains of Colorado, the seas, rivers, animals, plants, and the sky, stars and the moon—all to remind us of our creator and are gifts from Him to us.

He has given us technology for healthcare, televisions, computers, gas and electricity to help us live securely and in comfort. He has also given us gifts to play sports and activities. He given us taking care of livestock and 4-H which demonstrates our care for them. There are singers, musicians, artists, nurses, woodworkers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, and about any kind of field you can imagine, God has given so many people with such a wide variety of gifts and talents.

Some might say I don’t have any of these gifts, but they fail to understand that prayer, suffering, and sacrifices are gifts as well. Spiritually God has given us the wonderful 7 sacraments, especially Himself in the Eucharist.

It doesn’t matter how many or how great our gifts are, what matters is that we attempt to discover what they are and give them back to God by way of our time, talent, and treasure.

At some parishes nurses give blood pressure checks after Mass and visit the home bound. I know of doctors, who freely see poor patients, even though they know they will never be paid. I know of a married couple, who was about to lose their home. They had no money for a lawyer, but a Catholic lawyer volunteered to give them free advice, which helped them save their home. I spoke to the lawyer and said I would help pay for the advice given to the couple, and he looked at me with a smile and said, “Oh no father, I do it all the time, it’s my stewardship. I give back to God what He has given to me.”

In one parish, I was humbled by a man who called and said he wanted to give me something. When he came, he had black bag in his hand and said, “This is for you”. I said, “What is it?” He said it’s a computer. I was overjoyed because back then I needed one. He had recently bought himself a new computer and wanted to give his old computer away.

Back when our parish hall was built many of you gave your time and talent to build it.

Today, we have parishioners are sacristans, lectors, altar servers, organists and choir, youth leaders, ushers, greeters, the Altar Society, those who help with Totus Tuus every year. Some decorate the church. We had parishioners make a Corpus Christi canopy and an altar cloth. One parishioner made the wooden lecturn for Mass. Someone takes care of Mass stipends and does the weekly schedule for the bulletin. We have the Knights of Columbus, PSR teachers and a Religious education director- all of whom give their time and talent for people and children of the parish. Some mow the churchyard, do snow removal and others who take care of the flower bed. We have parishioners who volunteer to clean the basement of the church once a week. Some bring me meals and other foods, such as peaches.

In addition these things, many parishioners do not charge the church labor, such as maintenance, when they do work for the church and some have saved the church thousands of dollars by donating their time and talent. There are many goodhearted people here in our parish.

Isn’t there something about doing things for the church, which makes us feel good? When we volunteer our time and talent especially for the church-- it causes unity among parishioners, and gives us a sense of healthy pride in our parish. First and foremost, we are doing it for God, in thanksgiving for what He has given us, but we also do it because we love and care for our neighbor.

Msgr. McGread said, everything comes from prayer and the success of stewardship in our diocese is due to Eucharistic Adoration. He said, “By giving an effective amount of time to God—time at home in prayer, time with their families in prayer—people get closer to God. They come to understand their individual obligation to God, and they come to church because that is where they experience Christ in the Eucharist”.

If we heed the words of Msgr. McGread, we can see how important Eucharistic Adoration is and how it causes a blossoming of stewardship.

To spend an hour with Jesus every week in Eucharistic Adoration is the stewardship of prayer, which is the backbone of every form of stewardship. Before Mass on Sunday, Saturday morning and on Wednesday and after Mass on other days, there are people who lead the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Stewardship is not about asking for money. Rather, it involves a way of life. It’s living the Gospel, as witness by word and deed. We give back to God, by way of our time, talent and treasure.

To those who would like to give their treasure by tithing, Msgr. McGread used to say that it is better to tithe smaller at first, such as 3% or 4%. The more we trust, many will enjoy giving 10%. He also said it’s important to tithe regularly even if it’s a small amount.

Due to the generous tithing of the people in many parishes, and the diocese, Catholic schools in our diocese are tuition-free, but they are expected to use their time and talents for God and neighbor.

Our gifts and talents are not to buried, or kept for our self, but rather, to be given away to glorify God, by increasing the wealth of His kingdom, on earth, and in heaven. When we use wisely, that which belongs to God, which we are entrusted, as His stewards, we earn for our selves, the sharing our Master’s joy, and His glory in heaven.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, help us to live the stewardship way of life, by giving our time, talent, treasure, and our very self, to the service of Christ and His Church, as a true witness in word and deed to help bring about His kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven.