Earlier this summer, the Parochial Vicar of Saint Pius X Parish, Father Terry Coonan, helped this sagacious and senile pastor to set up his first blog: fromcanterburytorome.blogspot.com. With his help and encouragement, I was able to chronicle our 1,200 mile pilgrimage from Canterbury to Rome. It was an opportunity to share with others the lessons God was trying to teach us on our physical journey. Clearly, God was teaching us that we did not need all that stuff, which was stolen in the course of that journey.
With that pilgrimage now complete, this sagacious and senile pastor continues the more important Pilgrimage, the journey to the New and Eternal Jerusalem. In this blog, I plan to share my Sunday homilies, hoping to gain some insight along the way of what the Lord is teaching me, and sharing it with any who want to check out those insights.
We begin with the 25th Sunday in Ordinary time, when the Lord invites us to renew our Stewardship of Sacrificial Giving. Added to my homily is the witness talk of Jan Druyvesteyn, who more eloquently describes her pilgrimage in faith.
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
21 SEPTEMBER 2014
When
Jesus tells this parable, is not speaking about the world as we know it. He is not offering guidelines for labor
arbitration or suggesting a new economic theory. It would not take long for word to get out
that it is not necessary to sweat under the hot sun and do back breaking work
all day. Just show up at 5:00 in the
afternoon, and you will get a full day's pay!
The vineyard owner would watch his grapes rot in the vineyard, and his
business would be ruined.
Jesus uses
this parable to describe the Kingdom of God.
He deliberately contrasts the ways of our world with the ways of God's
Kingdom. In the Kingdom of God, the
value of a person is not established by how much a person works, or how much a
person is paid. Our value comes from
being created in God's image. We enter
God's Kingdom when we accept his invitation, no matter where we are in our
pilgrimage through life.
In a
similar way, the consumer spirit of our culture can be contrasted with the
message of stewardship. Consumers
consider their goods as a result of hard work and guard them carefully. They look for bargains. Consumers sit back and enjoy all the services
which Saint Pius offers while others do the heavy lifting. Eight years ago, consumers could take
advantage of the sacrifices made by so many in constructing our Parish
Education Center to skip the capital campaign to enjoy a Catholic education as
a bargain. The same dynamic can be
applied to our present efforts to build a new church. Consumers receive the benefits of the
sacrifice of others.
Stewards
have a very different view. After prayer
and reflection, stewards realize that everything we have is ultimately a gift
from God. In gratitude, stewards give
back to God a generous first portion of their time and their treasure. Good stewards are willing to make sacrifices,
because they understand that their gifts serve the common good of the
parish. Good stewards look at their
income and establish a first percent to give back. As a parish, we have taken steps in faith to
tithe 8 1/2 % of our income each year -- 5% to our sister parish of Saint
Adalbert and 3 1/2% to the poor. Our
goal is to reach 10%. That will take
some time, especially given our current capital campaign.
This does
not mean that good stewards cannot enjoy the benefits of our treasure. Once we give back a generous portion, we
trust that God will give us what we need.
In my own stewardship of sacrificial giving, I have reached 10%. That still gives me enough funds to take care
of one of my most important needs:
cycling! With the help of
insurance money, I have just purchased a new bicycle to replace the one that
was stolen in Italy!
God invites
each of us today to take a step of faith and become good stewards, not bargain
hunting consumers. As you consider your
response to the Lord’s invitation, please listen to Jan Druyvesteyn as she
speaks of her journey from being a consumer to becoming a steward.
Witness Message for Stewardship Services - September
20 & 21, 2014
Saint Pius X Catholic Church
Four years ago this fall, I began
weekly sessions in RCIA, thanks to Father Bill’s encouragement. I was received
into full communion in the church the following Easter Vigil, and things have
not been the same since. That’s the reason, this Stewardship Weekend (Sunday) I
am grateful to share my story.
By way of introduction to the
Catholic Church my husband (a new Catholic himself) gave me a subscription to
The Magnificat – the monthly meditation that I know many of you read. The daily
Scripture readings, prayers, and meditations opened my heart and fed me
spiritually. So much so, that after a year, I was actually “dependent” on
reading it each day. That was the beginning of the path that led to Saint Pius.
What was happening, I realized, was the fulfillment of the words in the Epistle
of James, chapter 4:8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” And God did – beyond my imagining.
To my surprise, I discovered that
the Scripture readings for today hold that same message: Isaiah 55: “Seek the
Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near,” and Psalm 145: “The Lord is near to all who call
upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.”
So – drawing near to God ever more faithfully through
prayer, reading God’s word, and listening in silence to the Holy Spirit, re-set
priorities in my life. I began closely watching how I used my time and ally resources. I realized I was swept
away – as most of us are – by the presumed “need” in our society for more and
more possessions, for the excuses to be self-indulgent (think... specialty
coffee drinks, the extra glass of wine … fill in the blanks) – and the mindless
living with excess.
What’s interesting is that I didn’t
intentionally decide to change any habits. The changes occurred because I had
drawn nearer to God. And one of those changes, or decisions, was how – and how
much – I was giving to the church. I no longer viewed my annual pledge as an
obligation, but rather an act of worship.
It’s thanksgiving! And that’s also what the Eucharist is for us
each time we are here in worship to receive the body and blood of Christ.
All that we have is from God – entrusted to us to serve
him. So I asked myself, “How can I
possibly thank God except to return to him in thanks-giving ALL my gifts: time,
talent, and treasure.
We are blessed to be members of
this parish, to worship in a community that supports one another and seeks to
be faithful witnesses of Christ’s love. We are blessed by Father Bill and Father
Terry who lead us in worship and help guide us along our way through life. Many
of us know what it’s like to have Father Bill walk through the door of a
hospital room. He is in that instant the face of Christ. And how often he, and Father Terry come
alongside us when we are in need of comfort, support, or blessing.
I had a very dear friend, name
Elsie, who rather late in her life discovered the peace and joy of drawing near
to God. Elsie always said, “Gratitude is everything.” May we all count our blessings today – in
gratitude – and pray for what we might do to repay those blessings – past,
present, and future to our wonderful parish.
May we all be disciples – shining witnesses of Christ’s love to the
world – so others may come into this fellowship, welcomed as I was, into the
open arms of Christ’s love. For this, I give praise to God, and I thank you.
