Stewardship Tip April 2010

Valuing the things we are given

“We seem value most the things we have struggled for,” the pastor told the school children at Mass last Friday. And that set me to thinking… Is that the reason that stewardship seems so hard – at least at the beginning? That we don’t value as much – or perhaps take for granted – the things we have been given?

Stewardship’s traditional starting point is often that because God has given us everything, good stewards react first with gratitude and then with a growing realization that those gifts must be used accountably. But perhaps our emphasis should be on sharpening our vision – to see more clearly the abundance in our lives and its Divine source. The news media often focus on scarcities – on shortages and deprivation and what’s wrong in the world. So perhaps our first step in parish stewardship should be to focus on the “good news,” that is, what’s right with our families, our parishes, and our communities.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of changing our perspective. A too-small youth hut that needs remodeling and expansion may be the “downside” of an enthusiastic youth coordinator, facilitating a wildly successful teen program. A shortage of adequate childcare facilities may mean a burgeoning population of young families. A sudden need for bilingual office help may mean an increasing and faith-filled immigrant population, bringing new customs and ideas to the beautiful, ever-changing tapestry that is the Body of Christ.

This year, try letting the natural joy of Easter and the hopeful signs of spring blossom into a parish-wide search for all the good things we sometimes overlook and take for granted. And then celebrate what you find in the bulletin, in the Prayers of the Faithful, in the gathering area in posters before and after Mass, wherever and whenever you can… Christ is risen and victorious over death! Alleluia! We are alive and here and together, able to praise and thank him. Alleluia!

There are ministers to go to the sick and suffering and willing hands to help feed the poor at our food pantry. Praise the Lord! “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” my mother used to say (although what I’d do with all those flies was – and still is – a mystery to me!) This spring, let’s be intentional about finding and celebrating the gifts of God to the people of God in our particular time and place. Once we remember and rejoice in our giftedness, the call to be good stewards will follow naturally. Father was right that we seem to value most the things we struggle to achieve; good stewardship is when we realize that all the skills and perseverance that made those achievements possible were first gifts from our good and gracious God – and are grateful!

Stewardship Tip April 2010