At Most
Blessed Sacrament we spend a great amount of time talking
about Christian discipleship and stewardship. Why? Because stewardship is an
integral part of our parish life and the Christian calling;
it recognized that everything we have and are comes from
God. It involves a wise use of all the gifts God has given
to us personally – our time, talent and material possessions
and the gifts God has given us as a society – natural
resources, the environment, etc. The Bible tells us that
part of this recognition and use is that we must return to
the Lord the first fruits of the gifts God has given us in
recognition of our dependence on and gratitude to Him.
Christian stewardship can be
divided into three areas: Time, Talent, and Treasure. Time
Stewardship is the consideration of how we use God’s
blessing of daily life; it is how we prioritize the
activities of our day to include God in prayer, reflection
and worship. Talent Stewardship is the consideration of how
we use God’s blessing of our gift of talent; it is how we
return back to God a portion of our different abilities to
benefit the Church and the world. Treasure Stewardship is
consideration of offering to God the first fruits of our
financial blessings: it is our willingness to tithe, or give
the first 10 percent, back to the Lord what has been
entrusted to us in our earnings.
I ask you to consider these
two questions:
1) is God at the center of your life?; and
2)
is God’s divine plan the path you are walking today?
Recognize that time and
talent are precious gifts entrusted to you by God, and
respond gratefully by using them wisely to fulfill God’s
mission for you. Make the most of your time and give of it
generously to God and others. Accept God’s mission for you
and let your life be guided by God’s will, not your own
personal desires and impulses. Do the best you can in
everything you do - dedicate your daily work to God. Develop
your talents to the fullest so that you can use them to
benefit the world. Finally become an open channel through
which God’s love and care can flow to the earth.
Each year members are asked
to re-commit to Christian Stewardship or to become involved
for the first time as a Steward of the gifts God has
entrusted to them to use. I hope that you will take every
opportunity to answer God's call to be a "good steward" of
your talents of Time & Treasure. If you need suggestions
concerning how your talents can be used in our parish
community, visit the "Ministries"
page of this web site.
I thank you from the bottom
of my heart. May God bless you with wisdom and courage to be
good stewards of you time, talent and treasure.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Bruce W. Wilkinson
Pastor
