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"Did you say thank you?” If you haven’t said this to a child, then you probably heard it from your parents every time you received a gift from someone. Just as we teach our children to say “thank you” when they receive a gift, God our Father calls us all to give thanks for the gifts He so generously gave us.  

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”- Helen Keller  This quote from Helen Keller is applicable to every aspect of our life. As good Christian Stewards we know that just like every position is important in a football team, our involvement in the life of our parish and participation at Mass is equally significant. There is no I in TEAM!  

Have you ever driven up to the drive-thru window only to find out that the person in front of you paid for your order? What a fun surprise! Did you pay it forward and pay for the person behind you? 

Eight years ago I moved my oldest child into college. As we drove to Mass that weekend, one of my younger children asked me, “Mom, does she have to pay the bill to St. Michael (Parish) now that she is going to Mass in Auburn?” I was confused and asked what she was talking about. She continued and said, “you know, the bill you and dad put in the basket at Mass each week.” My heart sunk as I realized I had failed. I am the executive director of Stewardship and Development for our archdiocese and I had clearly failed to teach my own child about stewardship. 

 In my position, I am blessed to observe the amazing results of stewardship in action every day. Our archdiocese is filled with countless examples of faithful stewards answering God’s call to give back the time, talent and treasure that He so generously entrusted to us.   

"Two cups of flower, 2 cups of sugar, 2 sticks of butter…" Measuring the perfect portions of each ingredient is critical to baking the perfect cake. Likewise, it is our responsibility to use wisely our God given gifts of time, talent and treasure in our life to be a good and faithful steward. 

Are you taking a vacation this summer? Many of us set aside time in the summer to explore new places or travel to familiar places to visit family and friends. Whether you are going on a road trip, flying across the globe, or cruising the seas; traveling is a fun adventure and presents great opportunities for us as Christian disciples to answer God’s call to be a good steward. 

Spring is graduation and awards ceremony season. These are such exciting times, and we should all be proud of our young people’s accomplishments. It is not easy to watch our young people complete one chapter of their life and spread their wings into another. This is a time when we feel all the emotions; happy for their successes, sad to see them move away, excited to see the path God will lead them down next.

If we are doing our best to listen attentively at Mass, there is typically a word or phrase that speaks to us in every homily. Recently, one of the phrases that has spoken to me is that we should live every day with an “attitude of gratitude.” 

What are we really being called to do during Lent? Does giving up chocolate or wine for 40 days draw us closer to Christ? Lent is a time to make sacrifices that draw us into a closer relationship with Christ and ultimately make us a better person. 

Stewardship withstands the test of time. Jesus called us to be His disciples and the path to being a disciple is through living a life of stewardship. Jesus tells us exactly how to achieve this in St. John’s Gospel when He says, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 14: 34-35).  

Let go, and let God! That is a New Year’s resolution we should all embrace.

What do you WANT for Christmas?” Yes, that is the question most frequently asked this time of year. Christmas is upon us and we are checking our list twice to make sure we have the perfect gift for everyone on our list. 

Obviamente, el Día de Acción de Gracias es un momento maravilloso para contar nuestras bendiciones. Sin embargo, como cristianos que se esfuerzan por vivir una vida de corresponsabilidad, estamos llamados a dar gracias por nuestras muchas bendiciones en todo lo que hacemos a lo largo del año.

Obviously, Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to count our blessings. Yet, as Christians striving to live a life of stewardship, we are called to give thanks for our many blessings in all that we do throughout the year. 

En la sociedad secular de hoy, el éxito se mide a menudo por el tamaño de nuestra casa, las vacaciones exóticas, el coche que conducimos o los lujos que podemos o no podemos permitirnos. La mentalidad de "estar al día con los Jones" nos lleva a mejorar, a aumentar el tamaño y a superarnos. La cultura del "más es mejor" es peligrosa para la fidelidad de un buen administrador cristiano. La lucha contra el egoísmo y la codicia es implacable. Dado que hoy es más difícil aceptar el reto de ser un mayordomo cristiano, debemos hacer un esfuerzo especial para comprender el verdadero significado de la mayordomía y vivir en consecuencia.

In today’s secular society, success is often measured by the size of our house, exotic vacations, the car we drive or the luxuries we can or cannot afford! The “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality causes us to upgrade, upsize and outdo. The “more is better” culture is dangerous to the faithfulness of a good Christian steward. The struggle against selfishness and greed is relentless. Because it is harder today to accept the challenge of being a Christian steward, we must make a special effort to understand the true meaning of stewardship and live accordingly. 

¿Alguna vez ha programado un tiempo o ha puesto una alarma para rezar? ¿Cómo encaja la oración en la fórmula tiempo + talento + tesoro = mayordomía?  ¿Ser voluntario o servir en un ministerio se considera administración de nuestro tiempo? No, en realidad, ser voluntario y servir en el ministerio es ser un buen administrador de nuestros talentos. Sin embargo, el tiempo en la fórmula de la mayordomía se refiere al tiempo en la oración. La fórmula de la corresponsabilidad podría decirse simplemente: orar + servir + dar = corresponsabilidad.

Have you ever scheduled time or set an alarm for prayer? How does prayer fit into the time + talent + treasure = stewardship formula anyway?  Is volunteering or serving in a ministry considered stewardship of our time? No, actually, volunteering and serving in ministry is being a good steward of our talents. However, time in the stewardship formula refers to time in prayer. The stewardship formula could be simply stated, pray + serve + give = stewardship.

Brindar una luz de esperanza a los necesitados es la forma de vida de un mayordomo cristiano. La mayordomía consiste en utilizar los talentos que Dios nos ha dado para ayudar a los necesitados, independientemente de su procedencia o de cómo hayan llegado a nuestras comunidades.