The Steward’s Work Is Never Done
Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock! When you hear these strong words from the Old Testament, you’re probably thinking, thank goodness I don’t have any sheep — dodged that bullet. Nobody misled here! No flock scattered on my watch! However, we are all shepherds of a kind, called to tend our own sheep: our families, our parishes, our communities. But it’s exhausting. Don’t we all sometimes just want to take a break from being a steward? The excuses are so familiar: we’re tired, we’ve done enough, we’ve given all we can, what more does the parish (or my spouse, or my kids, or my boss, or my friends, or my community) want? We give ourselves permission to be selfish. So, what if the flock scatters just a little? Jesus gets that. We can just imagine Him weary with exhaustion, can’t we? We see Him on his boat, attempting to sneak away for a quick break — maybe just a chance to eat a bite of food in peace. He is God, but He was still human, after all. Even the most dedicated shepherds need to sleep. But people couldn’t leave Him alone. They were hungry for Him. They needed what He could offer, and they needed it now. As tough as it is, that’s the example we are tasked with imitating. Everyday Stewardship demands accountability. It demands our showing up even when we are tired. It demands that we look at our lives, our time, our energies, our talents, our hearts, our bank accounts and think: where do I still have more to give?
— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS ©LPi
When Sacrifice Becomes Mundane--It seems to happen every year, like clockwork: we drag a bit, as we enter into the second week of Lent. On Ash Wednesday, we feel a bit like soldiers banging our shields, rushing into battle. “We’re ready, God!” our hearts cry out. “Transform us through sacrifice! Your will be done!” But by now, these Lenten resolutions are no longer novelties — they’ve joined the ranks of everyday inconveniences, which somehow are the hardest to bear. Because transformation, in real life, happens in inches, just as a battle is won slowly in the crash of one sword against another. It’s not always a dramatic thing, to the naked eye. It’s the perseverance in prayer despite weariness, or the continual denial of some pleasure even though there’s that nagging voice in our minds saying: go ahead, God doesn’t really mind. It’s a week when we all need a shock to the system — and wouldn’t you know it, this Sunday God gives us a double-whammy of dramatic sacrificial scenes. We picture Abraham, who also cried “Ready!” when God called, never imagining what He would ask: the surrender of his long-awaited son. We see Christ himself transfigured, as God shows us what He is ready to give up for love of us. We must remain committed, persevering daily in acknowledging that everything belongs to God. What we sacrifice, we simply give back to Him. If God is for us, who can be against us? Can we still reply, “Ready!” when we hear the call of God? —