STEWARDSHIP IN MOTION

OCTOBER 2014

Lord, you have been our refuge through all generations.

Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain

wisdom of heart.

– Psalm 90

SAVORING THE SEASON Taking Time and Giving Time

For so many of us, October ushers in a splendid time of

change. The hard work of planting and nurturing has

finally produced the fruits of the season; plump pumpkins

sit proudly in the field, promising a

plethora of food treats and decorative

options for us to enjoy, while apples

of plentiful variety beckon with their

pleasing aroma and invite us to

pleasant thoughts of homemade pies

and delicious ciders. Acres of tall,

robust trees full of leaves splashed with dashes of brown,

gold, orange, yellow, and red provide breathtaking views of

God’s creation for us to enjoy—free of charge. It’s a season

to think about taking time and giving time.

TAKING TIMEIn today’s society little thought is given to savoring the

moment. We’re too often on the rush to this event or

that meeting, usually juggling phone calls and emails

along the way. By now we’re already stacking catalogue

upon catalogue of items competing for places under our

Christmas tree. We’re also down to the wire when it comes

to choosing our Halloween alter egos and

stocking the cupboard with candy to treat

our costumed visitors.

We’re compelled to be “in control” and to

consume! Just observe the overnight lines

in front of the stores about to release the

latest gadget that we simply must have on the first day it

is available. Yet, as serious Christians, we would do well to

pause and reflect. Pride and greed, assembled in a toxic

brew, produce not pleasure, but fear. We are anxious about

"It is always the time of hope, confidence and love. Everything passes; love remains. We will not be disappointed."

- Cardinal Carlo Maria Martin

OCTOBER 2014

the future, and fearful of the world around us. This is an

understandable reaction, but we are called to face down

fear with faith.

TRUSTING GODWe must lose the sense that we are the sole determinants

of our own destiny. We profess our faith with the

understanding that we participate with Our Lord on our

journey to salvation. None of us

is guaranteed tomorrow. Let us

take just a moment to reflect upon

Psalm 118:24—“This is the day

the Lord has made, let us rejoice

and be glad in it.” So, let’s not

unduly fret about the economy, the

wars and rumors of war, the anxieties of the moment; let’s

make an effort instead to savor the authentic joy that God

provides for us each day if we’ll only stop to consider it.

We are called to believe the tenets of our faith both in season

and out, so our call to be good stewards does not have an

exemption clause when our 401k balances take a tumble.

Perhaps we have been a little too smug in believing that

because of our “advanced civilization” we are immune from

the vagaries of the market and of life, and that our wealth

will just increase unceasingly. Our forebears understood

some things we are loath to accept—among them that thrift

is a virtue, that consumption is not always virtuous, and that

sometimes life will deliver events

that are unplanned and unpalatable.

G.K. Chesterton referred to modern

man as practicing the tyranny of

the living—in that we feel superior

to our ancestors just because

we’re alive now and that what they

thought “back then” doesn't matter

anymore.

SHARING THE FRUITS OF THE HARVEST Take a moment to consider your weekly offertory support.

Do we put in that same amount week after week, year

after year without much contemplation? That’s natural,

as most of us are inclined to be creatures of habit. How

much better, however, it would be for us and for our

parishes if we examined the fruits of our harvest this year

and adjusted our charitable giving to reflect our blessings.

Even a modest increase, if made by hundreds of our

fellow parishioners, would have an

enormously powerful impact on our

parish families.

It is in times of distress that churches

need more of our help, not less. This

is because the material, emotional

and spiritual support they provide us

all will be needed all the more. It might also behoove us

to reflect upon Saint Paul’s admonition in his letter to the

Galatians: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the

law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he

is nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:2-3).

GIVING TIMEWe can also use this time to consider expanding our

volunteer efforts. Perhaps we can join the ranks of

our liturgical ministers—lectors, ushers, catechists,

extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. If we’re

inclined to less visible tasks, we can assist the sacristan, or

join with a group of others to visit the sick. Our parishes

have many ministries to offer us, and there are many

needs to respond to in the parish and community. Often

we wait for an invitation, but we can be agents of action

by stepping forward to volunteer. These achievable and

practical steps will strengthen our communities, one good

deed at a time.

“The times are bad! The times are

troublesome!” This is what humans say.

But we are our times. Let us live well and

our times will be good. Such as we are,

such are our times."- St. Augustine

"Be obedient

to what is

important, not to

what is urgent."

- Fr. Steve Dougherty

A Communication of Cunneen — A Cathedral Solution

www.cathedralcorporation.com800.698.0299

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