From the Heart of the Shepherd

From the bulletin for The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (2025 September 14)

September 14th: Feast of the Holy Cross

OK, back to the present. And presently at the parish, we are busy about “living for the day of the Lord.” It’s a rich theme; it invites us, most immediately, to orient our work-week around Sunday, transforming it into a worship-week in which the dominical celebration is both foundation and capstone, source and summit of all that we do. But it’s also (appropriately) an eschatological theme. That is to say, it’s an invitation to do everything we undertake with an eye towards Our Lord’s coming again at the end of time and/or at the end of our lives. It’s about entering into the spirituality at the heart of Jesus’ several parables about faithful stewards and the talents with which they are entrusted: like those servants, be they faithful or foolish, we too have been entrusted with more or less of our Master’s goods. Come a day (come that Day), we will have to render an account of our stewardship and be rewarded according to our service. 

It is very fitting, therefore, that the months of September and October have become for us at St. Mark’s the months of stewardship. 

Do not be afraid. “Stewardship” at St. Mark’s has never meant just “give God your money.” That’s just part of it. No, we understand that “stewardship” evokes the whole response of the disciple to the recognition that all is gift, all is grace. And that we only have one life in which we can make to God a return “for all the good He has given to us” (cf. Ps. 116:12). It’s the wise servant who invests all his or her talents (however many those are) back into the economy of grace, placing them at the service of charity. He or she will hear from the lips of our Savior those blessed words on the last day: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy!” (Mt 25:23). But woe to those who keep their gifts for themselves, wrapping them in that proverbial napkin, or burying them in the ground of omissions and selfishness. Read Matthew 25:26-30 to be reminded of what awaits these types!

How important it is, therefore, for our good and for the glory of God, that each year we renew our commitment to the stewardship dimension of discipleship. Practically speaking, this means taking account of our use of our time, talent, and treasure, and prayerfully determining how we will employ these precious gifts. This is why I have christened (through pastoral fiat) September here the Month of Communion. As the busyness of life pulls our attention this way and that, my goal is to remind you all of the supreme importance of our relationship with God, and also with Mother Church. To Him we pledge the first fruits of our time through a plan for an intentional prayer life; to Her we make the commitment to lived communion, particularly through small groups, which are so important to complementing our shared worship each Sunday. 

October, then, is the Month of Giving, whose twofold focus will be on giving of our talents through service within and beyond the parish, and of our treasure through a generous and trusting commitment to tithing. 

Importantly, each of these four aspects of stewardship comes with its own commitment opportunity: the Prayer Plan Pledge we are asking each to make starting today, a call to join or renew one’s commitment to a small group later this month, the Talent Offering in early October, and the Financial Pledge taking place towards the end of next month. It’s a lot of ground to cover in eight weeks, but we do this every year because this is what every year ought to be about!

At the outset of this stewardship extravaganza, I heartily recommend sitting down prayerfully with the whole of Matthew 25. Your pastor can pile word upon word; but let the Word of God convict you that it is He who calls us to live (and give!) for the Day of the Lord. With His joy as the reward!

From the Heart of the Shepherd: The Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time