Sunday Reflections

Playing our Part in the Church

Even in today’s short Gospel passage, we can learn a lot about authentic stewardship through the example of St. John the Baptist. John used his gifts of prophecy and preaching to help make Christ known. He readily used his gifts for the service of Christ and His mission. We should ask ourselves, how are we using our gifts to serve Christ?

Cardinal Collins in his Pastoral Letter on Stewardship* says that our time, talent and treasure “are the gifts that each of us has freely received, and which we need to use responsibly in a spirit of gratitude. If we do that ... then we will experience the joyful serenity of deep stewardship.”

As we are still in the month of January, it is never too late to commit to a deeper life of stewardship this year. Let us strive to be intentional and tangible in our resolve to be stewards. For starters, it is important to gratefully acknowledge that all we have in our lives is from God. Let us begin to take time each day in prayer to thank Him for all of His blessings. Secondly, by prayerfully examining our talents, let us seek groups or ministries in the parish in which we can give our gifts
back to God. We don’t need to be intimidated if we feel we cannot do great things for our parish, for all of us has a role to play. Let us conclude today’s reflection by pondering the following words of encouragement by St. Teresa of Calcutta. “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

Summary

St. John the Baptist used his gifts of prophecy and preaching to help make Christ known. Likewise, Cardinal Collins in his Pastoral Letter on Stewardship says that our time, talent and treasure “arethe gifts that each of us has freely received, and which we need to use responsibly in a spirit of gratitude.” Let us strive to be intentional and tangible in our resolve to be stewards by offering our gifts back to God and our parish community.

https://www.archtoronto.org/stewardship