Sunday, November 3, 2019

A Word from Your Pastor October 27



In this bulletin, we publish our Fiscal Report for 2018-2019.  As you can tell, the Lord has provided for our needs for yet another year.  Please take the time to review it.  It becomes clear that the Lord works through generous hearts who are willing to share their resources with their brothers and sisters.

It may be helpful just to offer a couple of notes at this time.  A parish is a particular group of Christian Faithful who are entrusted to one another and who receive the responsibility to attend to the pastoral care of a territory or a group of people.  We have been given the task of attending to the needs of those who live in our parish boundaries and those who choose to ally themselves with us as official members of our parish.

Genesis reveals that God has made human beings stewards in His stead, responsible for taking care of the rest of creation.  The Catholic Church provides guidance as to what it means to be a steward.  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has written about this topic.  It may be helpful to offer some insights from the U.S. Bishops’ pastoral letter on Stewardship.

"As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Pt 4:10).

What identifies a steward? Safeguarding material and human resources and using them responsibly are one answer; so is generous giving of time, talent, and treasure.  But being a Christian steward means more. As Christian stewards, we receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.


Stewardship includes a response on our part that comes from both Justice and Charity.  Our contribution to the needs of the parish to which we belong is a matter of justice.  When our community reaches beyond itself to the needs of others or to attend to the needs of those among us who do not have the resources they require, then we are responding in charity. 

Some confuse this, thinking it is a charity merely to put something into the collection basket.  Only the second collection is direct charity.  Up to a certain point, what we contribute to the first collection, either at Mass or through online contributions, is what we owe one another in justice.  It is like paying our mortgage or paying for utilities; it is part of being a member of a family.  We are truly grateful to all who meet their responsibility in this regard.  We are also grateful to and we rely upon those who reach beyond their due to help cover what other members are not able to.  Offering an annual report is an effort to be transparent about these matters.

Sincere thanks to all who fulfill the demands of justice and charity.  A gentle reminder and challenge to all of us to ensure that we respond to the Lord’s call to be generous with this world’s goods in order to build up our treasure in Heaven.

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