These writing are to help you focus your thoughts for your homily to incorporate a more pronounced stewardship message.

— Stewardship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants

Stewardship Homily Reflections

June 13, 2021 — Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time EZ 17:22-24; PS 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; 2 COR 5:6-10; MK 4:26-34

As we enter back into Ordinary Time, our readings today remind us that heaven is our true home and that we cannot make it there without God’s assistance.

In our First Reading, the prophet Ezekiel foretells the coming of the Kingdom of God. It is through a newly planted cedar that God will bear fruit. As he says, “Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it… And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree.”

We can see that Jesus is the cedar that will become refuge for all people. He will humble the proud, lift up the lowly and produce good fruit in the weakened. It is God who does the wondrous works.

We often go through life wanting to be in control. We try to solve all our problems, as we think, "I can do it myself." We cling to our own ideas by putting certain events, future plans or even day-to-day moments into a perfect little box, "This is the way I want it." We can even push back in moments of suffering by trying to find every possible way to get out of it. We are "in control."

Imagine what life would be like if we surrendered a little more. It is easier said than done — but, oh, how freeing it would be.

What if we opened our clenched hands to God and said, “Thy will be done”? What if we allowed God to be our problem solver or trusted in His plans for our lives? What if, instead of pushing away suffering, we actually resided in it with Christ Himself?

We would become free from attachment and more blessed than we could ever imagine.

Only God can do all that He promised in our First Reading. We need Him. All we need to do is surrender. To help us on this journey of total surrender, try starting each day with a prayer of surrender, “Lord, I give You this day and all that You have in store for me, my family and friends.”

Our Second Reading reminds us that we are not at home in this life, but in the next, as St. Paul says, “We would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.” This message is easy to say, but difficult to believe with our whole heart. We might look at our lives and think, "I like my home, I love my family and friends, and I enjoy the little comforts in my life. I don’t want to give that up."

Eternal life will surpass anything we could ever imagine and hope for. It will fulfill our deepest desires and aching hearts, and we will be filled with lasting peace and pure joy. If we only knew how incredible our heaven is, then we would give God everything to get there. But as St. Paul reminds us, it is not something we can see — “We walk by faith, not by sight.” We are called to have eyes of faith and hearts of trust. Pray for the grace to have overwhelming faith.

In our Gospel, Jesus expresses two parables about the Kingdom of God. The first mentions a man scattering seed on the land. As time passes, the seed sprouts and grows — yet, the man does not know how it happened.

This parable reminds us of our call to scatter seeds of faith to others. Over time, God will work with those seeds and produce fruit. It is not our doing, but God’s doing. We need Him to produce the effects — all we can do is be good stewards of the knowledge and love for our faith.

We must ask ourselves, what are the ways I am scattering seeds of faith to others?

There are countless ways to do just that — teaching a faith formation class, leading RCIA or a Bible Study; reading saint stories or discussing the Sunday readings with your kids; praying with your spouse; openly discussing your faith with those around you, both Catholics and non-Catholics; actively living out your faith through service, prayer and sacraments. God will not only produce fruit from the seeds you scattered by your witness, but He will also grow more fruit in your life.

Jesus’ second parable relates the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. It is one of the tiniest seeds, that grows rapidly into a field of weeds. However, in the parable, Jesus compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed that grows into the largest of plants.

The beginnings of the Kingdom started out small, but have grown and continue to grow into something grand. This seems unlikely, since Jesus is comparing it to a mustard seed, but we have to recognize that He is describing the Kingdom of God — something that is out of this world and beyond what we can imagine.

As Christian disciples, we hope to reside in the branches of heaven, along with our family and friends. We cannot do this on our own. As our other readings mention, it is through the total surrender, complete faith and actively living out our faith as a witness to Christ that we can hope in eternal life.

As we settle into Ordinary Time, let us not become complacent, but keep our hearts and minds fixed on the Kingdom of God.

June 20, 2021 — Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time JB 38:1, 8-11; PS 107:23-24, 24-26, 28-29, 30-31; 2 COR 5:14-17; MK 4:35-41

Our readings today remind us that God always has our best interests in mind. No matter what is going on in our lives, God is with us.

Our First Reading is from the end of the book of Job. The book of Job is an incredible story of God allowing trial and suffering to occur in Job’s life. The devil thinks that the only reason Job is faithful to God is because the Lord has blessed him with wealth, family, etc. God knows that Job is a faithful man and will not turn away from Him despite hardships. So, the Lord allows destruction in Job’s life.

Let’s think for a moment what it was like to be Job. He lost all that he had, including his children. He must have felt completely alone and confused as to why all of this happened to him.

During his trials, Job laments and wallows, but never completely loses faith in God. Our First Reading finds us at the end of his trials. After questioning God, the Lord responds to Job, “Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb… When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, and said: Thus far shall you come but not farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled!”

Finally, the Lord responded to his questioning heart. God essentially responds by reminding Job to have faith in His power.

It is the Lord who has the power to create, power to allow suffering, and the power to calm the storms of life. It is in this response that we are reminded God is in control and God is always with us. He sees us in every moment, whether we are rejoicing or suffering.

This is re-echoed in our Gospel today. Jesus and His disciples are traveling in a boat when heavy winds and violent waves begin to overwhelm the boat. Jesus was there sleeping in the boat in the midst of this horrific storm.

The disciples woke Jesus and questioned Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus calms the wind and the waves, and then asks them in return, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

Think back to a time that you endured great suffering, a hard trial or felt overwhelmed with life. You might be living it right now.

How did you respond?

In moments of trial, we often live our days in a panic. It is as if our life is like the life of those disciples. We see the water coming into our boat and we do all that we can in our power to stay afloat. We aimlessly try to throw the water overboard, and we become exhausted because it is thrown right back into our face. We are frantic, so we fail to stop and recognize that our Savior is in the same boat with us. Although it might feel like He is sleeping and His presence is lacking, He is right there suffering with us.

Our First Reading and Gospel remind us that God won’t allow anything that we cannot handle. He sees the whole picture. We can only see the right now. And in a moment of suffering, we might feel trapped. Yet, God sees the way out. He sees the moment of peace and still waters.

Therefore, during our trials, cling to Jesus. Know that there is an end, and whether we see the end in this life or the next, God allows it all for our salvation.

Today, let us thank God for His presence in our lives, and ask for the eyes of faith to see that He is right here with us always.

June 27, 2021 — Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time WIS 1:13-15, 2:23-24; PS 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13; 2 COR 8:7, 9, 13-15; MK 5:21-43 OR 5:21-24, 35b-43

Our readings today remind us that our God is a tender and loving God.

Our First Reading, from the book of Wisdom, helps answer a common question in our Catholic faith — why is there suffering and death?

We are tempted to be angry at God for death of loved ones or innocent people. We are also tempted to be angry at Him our sufferings — like illness, car troubles or a terrible week at work. Wisdom teaches us, “God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.” Rather, “God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.”

It was in God’s original plan for man to not suffer and to not die. This is how the world began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is when they sinned that suffering and death entered our lives, as Wisdom states, “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world.”

To restore God’s original plan, and to save us from the state of sin and death, He sent His only Son to revive our souls. Through Jesus Christ, we once again are imperishable when we enter eternal life.

Because of Him, our suffering is not meaningless. As we’re told in the Scriptures, God did not create suffering and death. However, because He loves us, He allows it so that we might become united to Him and have an opportunity to participate in His work of salvation.

In our Gospel, Jesus heals two people — a sick woman and an ill child. The woman and the father of the child approached Jesus because they heard of His healing works.

The first healing was a woman who suffered physically for many years. She believed that, “if I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” As Jesus questioned who touched Him, she fell at her knees and confessed the truth of what she had done. Jesus replied with such tender words, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

These words that Christ spoke are very similar to the words He speaks to us during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As we kneel before a priest with sorrow in our hearts and profess the entire truth of how we have offended our Lord, Christ can only reply with such tender words, “Daughter or son, your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.”

As this woman got on her knees and felt ashamed of what she did, Jesus could only look at her with eyes of love. So too, as we kneel before Christ, feeling ashamed and unwanted, all He can do is look at us with love and see our great faith.

The second healing was of a 12-year-old girl. An anxious and loving father sought after Jesus so that his daughter might be cured of her illness. As Jesus was traveling to heal her, they got word that the daughter had died. In that deeply painful moment, a moment no parent wants to experience, Jesus turned and said, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

Recall a moment when you felt like you hit rock bottom. Maybe you received devastating news, someone died, you lost your job, you were fighting addiction, or you were suffering mentally, spiritually or physically. Maybe you are living that moment or maybe that moment is yet to come.

In that time, imagine Jesus looking at you and saying, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” Remember this verse. May it bring you peace and comfort in tribulation. Recall, as Wisdom tells us, God does not rejoice in our suffering and death. He rejoices in our faith and our trust in His glorious plan for our lives.

Whether we are healed like the little girl in our Gospel in this life, or we carry our suffering with us until we reach the next, if we remain faithful, Jesus will one day say to us, “Little girl or little boy, I say to you, arise!”

Today, let us reflect on how much our Good and Gracious God loves us. Remember that whatever we are suffering in this life, do not be afraid, God is right there with us. Offer it to Him, seek His healing and remain faithful so that one day we might rise.