Blog & Pastor Letters

I love the verse in Sirach where it says, “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.” This is an interesting concept for those of us who think a stewardship way of life is all about the giving of gifts. When we start to think that all we are called to do is give for the sake of giving, we have missed the point.

Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media can be powerful tools of communication. They allow people to stay in touch. They provide an avenue for fresh ideas. People can be engaged in conversations and be exposed to issues of the day in ways few could have dreamed of just a few decades ago. But social media can also give the false sense of really knowing someone, when only the surface has been scratched about who a person is in reality.

Have you ever written a check or seen the charge on the credit card machine that had far too many zeros on it for your comfort?

The brakes finally give up on the car you were hoping to nurse through the season. The water heater dies on the coldest week of the year. A medical procedure wasn’t totally covered by insurance. We’ve all been here in this place, being asked to part with a not-so-small sum of money for a not-so-fun reason.

What would happen if you found out right now that relatives of yours were coming into town tomorrow, and they hoped to stay with you? You can either tell them they can’t stay with you, or you immediately begin a process of furiously cleaning, straightening up, and grocery shopping in anticipation of your guests. If you don’t have to do anything to prepare because your home is perfect, clean, and fully stocked, perhaps you don’t live in your home or you are obsessive compulsive. I suspect most people reading this would go into panic mode!

A few months back, my wife and I helped move my oldest son into his frst real aparment. He was moving to star his frst real job and was excited and cautious at the same time. Moving him in reminded me of when his mother and I were frst staring out. We received an old couch from her aunt, some kitchen supplies from my mom, and many other things from friends and relatives so we could begin this new journey in our lives. We didn’t have much. But we had one another, and we had love. Looking back, those were great times.

After more than two decades in parish ministry, my life changed course when LPi reached out to me with an offer to do something different with my life. I hadn’t been looking for a new job, but I had been working for some time to grow a ministry of speaking, writing, and consulting outside of my parish. It occurred to me I just might be throwing away a long career of stability and certainty for a situation that was new and anything but certain.

In my experience, most people can be divided into two groups: those who are old enough to remember when you kept food on hand for company, and those who aren’t.

For those of you in the latter group, let me explain. Before text messaging and social media made us all unconditionally, mercilessly reachable, people would do this thing called “stopping by.” They would be passing by a friend’s house, maybe on the way home from work or shopping, and they would just … stop. With no warning.

So many times in my life, I have failed to start something because I had not yet adequately prepared. I would have started working out or going for a jog, but I needed to get the right shoes. I would have started eating right if only I could find the time and money to buy the right foods. I would have started that journaling project, but I couldn’t without a really nice leather-bound journal. I would have, I would have, and I would have!

If you had $100 to give away, to whom would you give it? Perhaps you would choose someone you love. How about someone on the street at a corner stoplight? You could really make someone’s day if you gave it to them as a tip after a modestly priced meal. There are so many possibilities. No matter to whom you give the $100, you are certainly being generous. No one can debate that.

What do you call brothers who are born on the same day? Twins, of course. That is what we celebrate today in the inestimable saints, Peter and Paul. Wait: twins? Yes. The early Church believed that Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome on the same day. Since the day of martyrdom is celebrated as a saints’ birth into eternal life, the result is striking: Peter and Paul are twins in God’s family, the Church.

Have you ever paid attention to the purification of the sacred vessels after Holy Communion? If you haven’t, I highly recommend doing so this Sunday. See the care with which the priest handles the chalice and the paten, pouring water into them to cleanse any loose particles of the Body and Blood of Christ. Observe the loving reverence he uses in wiping them dry with a special purificator. It’s a ritual unto itself, and a powerful moment for reflection.

The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. That oneness is mirrored for us in the Holy Trinity: one God in three Persons. We are a diverse community with different backgrounds, cultures, realities, and gifts, but we are truly one. Unfortunately, we too often forget this and function as a fractioned body. We needlessly compete against one another, judge one another as opposed to help, and sit silent when our brothers and sisters call out for help.

I am a sports fan, and perhaps you are one, too. I don’t follow all sports, but those that I do follow usually involve a team. There is something about a team of individuals coming together for the goal of victory that is compelling. A team is only as good as the sum of all its players. If you have all the right talent at the right positions, great things can happen. What is hard for a fan to watch is a team that has great talent but fails to achieve its goals because some players choose not to give their all to the team. Selfishness, apathy, or immaturity keep some from giving fully of themselves. The hopes and dreams of a team and fan base are dashed even though they had all they needed to be the best.

We were created for community. Human beings are not meant to be alone. As each of us grows in our relationship with Jesus, we find ourselves drawn further into community. Our stewardship never reflects just on us, but on the Body of Christ to which we belong.

When speaking to his Father, Jesus always spoke about all of us as a whole. Jesus has a unique relationship with each and every one of us, but he also sees us collectively as one. When the Holy Spirit was sent to assist us until the Second Coming, she ascended upon a multitude, not just one person at a time.