At a conference recently, a priest said to me, “You said that real stewardship begins when we realize that all we have and are is gift. But my question is, how do you get people to that point? How do you lead them to that first, most important, understanding?” A good question…
If I believe that all I have, I have by right, by my own effort alone, and/or that I am “entitled” to it, I am unlikely to be very grateful and probably won’t be very open to the message of stewardship. I’m going to need to be “converted” to a new way of seeing who I am and what I have before I can hear the call to gratitude and generosity. Unfortunately, gratitude is “caught” rather more effectively than it is “taught.”
Recently, I observed a retired priest in my parish celebrating Mass with the school children. The second-graders had prepared the liturgy – had chosen the songs, prepared and presented the opening remarks to help us focus on the readings, and written (and practiced and led) the prayers of the faithful. And Father followed their lead, weaving their thoughts and words into his homily, and expressing genuine appreciation for their efforts whenever it was liturgically appropriate to do so. His gratitude was not at all “condescending” or “pro forma, but honest and heart-felt – and everyone in that church that morning felt it and shared it. It was “grace in action” for both – the children who gave their best to God and the community and the presider who received their gift with joy and gratitude. And it was an invitation to that conversion of heart for all who attended.
How about your parish? Are liturgical ministers thanked, openly and warmly? Is your bulletin full of grateful language? Does your St. Vincent de Paul Society just plead for funds because the needs are so great – or do they also thank those who have given so generously in a way that invites them (and others) to give again and again and again? Gratitude is contagious!
This Lent, how about inviting people to keep a gratitude journal? Simply look back over your day each evening and write down three things for which you are grateful. And be sure they’re different things every day – no cheating by listing the same three things, day after day! The discipline of recalling the good things that happened – the friend who offered a kind word, the sun shining warmly on my back, more than enough food for my needs, the fact that the car that ran the red light didn’t hit me – deepens our gratitude and turns our thoughts to the Giver of all those good gifts. And that’s the first step on the journey toward true stewardship.
Let us know what you think by email giaction@osv.com
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