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He Gave His Only Son

"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

John 21:29

• There should be less talk. A preaching point is not a meeting point.


• The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved-- they are Jesus in disguise.


• In the West there is loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West. In many ways it is worse than our poor in Calcutta. (Commonweal, Dec 19, 1997)


• It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.


• The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. and they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.


• I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?


• I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.


• Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.


• If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

~Mother Teresa~

There are four components to Catholic Stewardship. Stewardship is much more than what you might think. Stewardship is not merely time and treasures that we are to give back to the Church. Stewardship is primarily how we manage to care for God's creation in all aspects.

The first component of Catholic Stewardship is seeking God's guidance for creation. We seek God's guidance through current revelation like scriptures and Church teachings. God has revealed His love for creation time and time again in scripture and Church teachings. We only have to read to find the love that God holds for all creation. All creation means all creation. All creation is worthy of God's love. After reading scripture, we should seek personal revelation by praying and listening.

The second component is sharing creation with others lovingly in justice. There is a social justice element to stewardship. We cannot be good stewards of creation if we exclude or discriminate against certain classes of people. Creation was meant for all - not just those fortunate enough to be born in the developed nations or other favorable conditions.

The third component of Catholic Stewardship is receiving gifts from God with a grateful heart. Creation is not meant to be taken for granted. Thank God everyday for what we have and be compassionate towards others. We are to have a heart and spirit like the father of the prodigal son.

The fourth component of Catholic Stewardship is to work with creation to cultivate its potential within community. We cannot squander creation; we must multiple its potential for the benefit of all. And we are to do this in community. Jesus formed the Church so that we would have a way to be together in worship and seeking the gospel. We do not seek the gospel in a vacuum by ourselves. As the Body of Christ, we were given talents to share with the world. We must work together to maintain the Body of Christ and maintain creation because we love God.

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