Good Stewards Live the Beatitudes

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1 International Catholic Stewardship Council CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP February 2017 e-bulletin A STEWARDSHIP PRAYER for February Gracious God, You sent us Your Son to show us the way to you. Grant us the wisdom to live out his Beatitudes according to the gifts we have been given. Give us the courage to be good stewards of the Gospel and fervent disciples. Good Stewards Live the Beatitudes Three weekends in our February liturgical cal endar will turn our attention to Jesus teachings in the Gospel of Matthew explaining what is to be expected of those who choose to follow him. This is the familiar Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1 7:29), the most quoted part of the Bible. Jesus sermon begins with messages of comfort, the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-12). And show us how to recognize that through his gift of the Eucharist there is one bread, and we are one body; that we live no longer for ourselves, but in Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Continued on page 2

2 Continued from page 1 Three weekends in our February liturgical calendar will turn our attention to Jesus teachings in the Gospel of Matthew explaining what is to be expected of those who choose to follow him. The word Beatitude refers to a state of deep happiness or joy. But these sayings are paradoxes. They turn our normal expectations upside down. Jesus is bringing us a new law, new expectations on how to live. He is bringing forth the Kingdom of God. As the United States bishops wrote in their 1992 stewardship pastoral, Jesus does not waste time proposing lofty but unrealistic ideals; he tells his followers how they are expected to live. The Beatitudes and the rest of the Sermon on the Mount prescribe the lifestyle of a Christian disciple. Each of these blesseds is a statement about an important aspect of how we exercise stewardship of our lives. Each of them offers us an ideal of how to live and how we find God living within us. Learn the Beatitudes, memorize them, make them part of your daily prayer life, and ask the Lord for the wisdom and strength to follow this stewardship way of life, a path that follows in the footsteps of Jesus. Stewardship of God s Word: Reading the Bible February is a transitional month, especially in 2017 with its 28th day right on the doorstep of Ash Wednesday, March 1, and the season of Lent. Many of us also begin to hope that spring will be around the next corner. The first seed catalog we find in the mail reminds us this must be true, yet we know it s not time to turn the soil. We wait in the quiet of late winter. What better time than February, before Lent and the advent of spring, to settle in for some reading and praying with sacred scripture? February can be a quiet time of patient reflection for the Christian steward. The psalms, like so many biblical passages, remind us of the benefits of reading God s word: Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Ps 119:105). Our liturgical year offers us a wonderful path way to the Bible by providing Lection ary readings for each day. Our Sunday Gospel readings this year come to us mainly from Saint Matthew. In the month of February we have an opportunity to reflect on Christ s teachings in his Sermon on the Mount with its hope-filled Beatitudes. This Gospel is ideal for spending time with the Lord in quiet meditation. In the Gospel of Saint Matthew Jesus gives us a guide to Christian living. If you choose to read this great In the month of February we have an opportunity to reflect on Christ s teachings in his Sermon on the Mount with its hope-filled Beatitudes. This Gospel is ideal for spending time with the Lord in quiet meditation. book of the Bible, consider just one episode in the Gospel each time you read it. Put yourself into the scene. See what words strike a chord in you. Ask the Lord to help you know him through the Gospel reading. One of the hallmarks of Saint Matthew s Gospel is his emphasis on discipleship and what it means to follow Jesus. Christian stewards look to this Gospel to gain new insights into their journey of faith; and much like the desires of gardeners, long for the seeds of the Gospel, especially the Beatitudes, to be planted in their own hearts. Find some quiet time. Pick up your Bible. And use God s gift of these quiet February days to deepen your knowledge of Christ through sacred scripture.

3 Saint Miguel Febres Cordero Saint Miguel Febres Cordero is Ecuador s first canonized saint. He was born in 1854 in the city of Cuenca, which is located 8,000 feet high in the Andes Mountains. He joined the Christian Brothers as a young teenager and during his first years as a brother developed a Spanish grammar textbook that was published when he was 19 years old. Brother Miguel s grammar book eventually became the stan dard text for all schools in Ecuador. He continued his work on similar educational publications and be came recognized internationally as a Catholic educator. Brother Miguel also ministered ex tensively in the area of religious education and he made a lifelong commitment of preparing young people for the sacraments. He was a humble, dedicated religious who devoted himself to the stewardship of education, both in the Spanish language arts and in religious for mation for youth. He died in 1910 at the age of 56 and was canon ized by Saint John Paul II in His feast day is February 9. 55th Annual Conference September Atlanta, Georgia Stewardship: A Disciple s Response 2o17 25 Years of the Bishops Pastoral Letter Register Now and Save Money! New Year Special for Members Only $429 through February 28, 2017 Visit catholicstewardship.com for more information and to register. CONTACT US Call (800) or icsc@catholicstewardship.org lebrating ce 55 of teaching YEARS STEWARDSHIP SAINT for February stewardship

4 Stewardship: Letting God Bring Us Beyond Ourselves We rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit to enflame our hearts and open our minds as the beginning point for this encounter with God s love. by Leisa Anslinger, author and co-founder of Catholic Strengths and Engagement Community (CSEC). Who are we as disciples of Jesus Christ? How is stewardship part of the life of the disciple? How do we lead others toward this spiritual way of life? These are the questions that stewardship leaders constantly ask themselves. There is no one answer to these essential questions, of course, and no singular way of carrying out the role we have as pastoral leaders who are dedicated to forming people as stewards. Yet, we know that this way of life is filled with meaning and purpose, and we sense the impact it may have on others in our community. Mature disciples make a conscious, firm decision, carried out in action, to be followers of Jesus Christ no matter the cost to themselves Stewardship is an expression of discipleship, with the power to change how we understand and live out our lives. (Stewardship: A Disciple s Response, Introduction) How do we lead people to such living discipleship? In his pastoral letter, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis points to the importance of an encounter with Christ as the beginning point: Thanks solely to this encounter or renewed encounter with God s love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship, we are liberated from our narrowness and self-absorption. We become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of our being (The Joy of the Gospel, 8). We rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit to enflame our hearts and open our minds as the beginning point for this encounter with God s love. As members of Christ s Body, we also recognize the responsibility we have to witness to the power of faith and the impact of living as disciples in our lives. This, I believe is one of the great gifts of stewardship in the life of the Church: as we let God bring us beyond ourselves, we witness to the transforming power of stewardship as an expression of discipleship. We evangelize. A reflection question for stewardship leaders: How do you witness to the impact of living as a disciple who embraces stewardship as a way of life? ICSC 2017 Parish Stewardship Award Information Has your parish developed stewardship materials that would help others? Did your committee work hard on resources you are proud of? Please consider applying for one or more ICSC Parish Awards in 2017! Parishes at all stages of the stewardship journey are encouraged to apply. All entries will be judged by members of the ICSC Parish Stewardship Education and Services Committee. Application Deadline is May 31. All applicants will be contacted by July 15. For additional information, list of awards, and entry forms CLICK HERE

5 A STEWARDSHIP MOMENT Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Weekend of February 4/5, 2017 In this weekend s readings and psalm, the prevailing theme is that of light: We are the light of the world; our light breaks forth like the dawn; our light shines in the darkness; our light reflects generosity and justice. Good stewards know they are the lamp, and Christ is the flame that, through them, illuminates the earth. They know that they carry Christ s light in their hearts, and let it shine through their words and deeds. What are we doing to shine Christ s light on the hungry, the homeless and others most in need of God s mercy? How do we exercise good stewardship over the light of Christ that burns within each of us? Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Weekend of February 11/12, 2017 In today s Gospel, part of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not speak of replacing the law of the Old Testament. He goes beyond it. He obliges his followers to work at being holier than even the strictest of Pharisees. But the work is not accomplished by following a religious law, it requires growing in love for other human beings. Followers of Jesus know they are required to be good stewards of others. In what way will you exercise good stewardship over other people this week? Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Weekend of February 18/19, 2017 In another passage from his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues to turn his disciples way of thinking upside-down. One of the lessons for the Christian steward in today s Gospel is that if we have a chance to help someone in need, we should be generous and give more than is expected of us. Jesus went the extra mile for us. Can we be more like Jesus and go the extra mile for others? Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Weekend of February 25/26, 2017 Saint Paul reminds us as baptized Christians, as those who have shared the Eucharist with one another, that we are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. We are not to define ourselves by our age, ethnicity, gender, social status, work, vocation or avocation. Our primary self-understanding should be that of servants and stewards of the Lord and all that has been entrusted to us. Can we accept this self-understanding? Do we find it encouraging? International Catholic Stewardship Council ICSC@catholicstewardship.org (800)