This weekend we begin our annual parish wide Stewardship Renewal. The stewardship way of life is rooted in living every day from a place of gratitude, because all that we have and all that we are belongs to God. It is all a gift. On this first Sunday of the renewal, we are reminded that living with a thankful heart means dedicating our lives to growing in our love for God and for each other.
We see in the Gospel that lives of love are not directed toward being great in the eyes of others. True greatness lies in the capacity to be of humble service to others. This is contrary to what is often thought of as greatness in our world. Greatness is often associated with being famous, having a lot of money, or holding a place of power or authority within the government, a company, an institution or even the Church.
As Jesus says, “Whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant (Mark 10:35-45).” That kind of humble service is only possible if we grow in our love for God and for each other. As Catholics, the great gift of our Baptism makes us part of his Church. It is through the Church and specifically our parish that we help each other grow in the profound love of God who has first loved us. Through our participation at Mass, the sacraments of the Church, the parish ministries and the activities of the parish, we help each other to live with the mercy, forgiveness, care and compassion so needed in our troubled word.
During the next weeks we will reflect on serving others as well as the Lord’s call to share our gifts through which the world will be a better place because we were here. The weekend of November 10-11 will be our commitment weekend. We will be invited to consider what portion of our financial resources we will share to support the work and ministry of Christ Cathedral Parish.
Your lives of love for God and others are truly examples of greatness. May these weeks of stewardship renewal be a time of dedicating ourselves to living with thankfulness as we grow in love, service and generous sharing.
Together in faith,
Very Reverend Christopher Smith, rector