Pentecost in our time and stewardship: the common denominator |
 |
 |
|
Written by URSULINE SISTER CARLA MURAR, Diocesan Office of Stewardship director
|
|
Friday, 05 September 2008 01:00 |
"Many of the people we brush shoulders with every day are hungry and thirsty for ‘light and love.’ They are looking for ‘prophets and saints.’ If we truly love our neighbor, we cannot be satisfied with merely providing for their material needs. We will also want to share with them our own gift of faith to help them in their struggles. This ‘spiritual charity’ can be a simple word or gesture of kindness, comfort or hospitality inspired by faith. It can be a promise of our prayers, or even an invitation to pray or worship with us. In a larger context, ‘prophets and saints’ also have something to say about the life of society and the way we treat one another."
— Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair,
Bishop of Toledo, May 2006
Bishop Blair has asked the diocese to focus on the new evangelization that Pope John Paul II challenged the church and the people of God to embrace.
We are invited to see everything we do through the lens of evangelization. This paragraph from the bishop’s letter initiating the diocesan focus on evangelization can lead us to infer that stewardship and evangelization are allies in carrying out the mission of Christ. As does Pope Paul VI in his apostolic exhortation, ìOn Evangelization in the Modern World,î when he states:
"The world calls for and expects from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility, detachment and self-sacrifice. Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. It risks being vain and sterile."
What do they have in common? They share the call to simplicity of life — to discipleship. We are challenged by the recent popes and our U.S. bishops to embrace this call.
In their November 1992 pastoral letter, "Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response," the U.S. bishops shared the essentials of stewardship and evangelization.
We are encouraged to live the life of the disciple, a life committed to praying, welcoming (hospitality/charity to all), forming ourselves into Christ (humility; obedience) and serving (self-sacrifice).
The first step in the process of becoming a disciple is deeply personal. We need to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the radical change this openness will bring in attitudes and action.
This change can be identified as conversion. In order to bring others to conversion to Christ, we must first be converted. We are imperfect human beings, and as Catholics, we believe conversion to living a Christ-like life is not a one-time occurrence. Conversion must happen often throughout our lives, even daily. Being a disciple, evangelizer and steward is work, but it is work done with the help of the Holy Spirit.
The words disciple, evangelizer and steward are words with which we may not be comfortable when applied to us as individuals.
The word disciple brings to mind the early followers of Jesus and some current Protestant denominations. The word evangelizer gives us the image of people knocking on doors or televangelists. To many people, the word steward seems to mean money.
These are common misconceptions. But these three words describe exactly what we are commissioned to be by virtue of our baptism. We are disciples and evangelizers through our actions and our lifestyles. We are stewards when we serve God and others by using and taking care of our gifts and talents.
Evangelizing is Jesus’ mission. Jesus has shared this mission with us, promising He will be present with us always: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Mt 28: 19-20)
We are commissioned to share the Good News, a job that can take many forms besides the proclaiming and preaching of the Word. Here is where stewardship is not only an ally, but a servant and tool of evangelization. Being a steward gives us the opportunity to share the Good News, out of gratitude, in concrete ways in many settings.
We share the Good News as St. Francis of Assisi encouraged us to do: "Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words." Our example of a life lived in imitation of Jesus impels us to use our gifts and talents in the service of others.
In other words, a good disciple, evangelizer and steward receives God’s gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with all and returns them to God with increase.
This is our challenge as we journey this year with the great evangelizer, St. Paul, and learn from his example how to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 07 November 2008 09:00 |
|
|
