“You claim his lordship and power over your life. You know that you are nothing without God!”
DID you wake up this morning saying to yourself, “I will do everything for the greater glory of God”! If so, then you are on the right track. You recognize that all that you are and have and come from God. You claim his lordship and power over your life. You know that you are nothing without God!
Hence, you live with overwhelming gratitude to God. And so you say, “With all your blessings, how can I return the favor, my God?”
October is a stewardship month at Incarnation Church! We begin with the fundamental belief in God as the Author of life and the Giver of all gifts. This belief urges us to worship Him, along with other parishioners, and to offer the gift of ourselves, including our talents, treasures, and time. We can’t help but return to our Church a portion of God’s blessings so that the Church can continue her mission of bearing our “share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” (2 Timothy 1:8)
For us, Christians, our greatest blessing is our faith in Jesus Christ. This faith strengthens us, allowing us to “move mountains and uproot a tree.” It makes miracles and leads us to eternal life. It is a faith that began in our baptism and grew in time.
As Catholic Christians, a vital part of our faith in Jesus Christ is our love and the care for the treasures that Christ left the Church: the Eucharist and the other Sacraments. Through the Sacraments, we receive sanctifying and redeeming graces.
And so, we share our material treasures with our Church as our way of reciprocating God’s love to us. We do this with joy, keeping in mind what St. Paul tells us:
“Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (1 Corinthians10:6-7).
May we all respond to God’s graces with profound gratitude! Amen.
