Several people have requested a brief summary of my homily last week which focused on GRATITUDE related to The Eucharist we celebrate and rooted in the story of the Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-19).
What prevents you/us from being grateful? What keeps us at a distance from the Lord like the lepers? Symbolically, I propose 9 things, one for each ungrateful leper, that keep us distant from God, especially when we experience tragedy, disease, heartache, setback and frustration. I’m sure there are more. One very powerful thing that moves us toward and in greater intimacy with God is Gratitude. Each Sunday, in fact each day or any time we celebrate the Eucharist, we can be ritually and spiritually encouraged to be more grateful. That is what the word Eucharist means – to give thanks – and I propose that in a very fractured world these days, we need genuine gratitude, we need the Eucharist to thank God, and each other, more than ever. We need to use gratitude for experiencing and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist as both a gift and as a way of life.
Here are 9 possible reasons we, and the lepers, were/are not grateful:
• Tragedy itself – we don’t all get cured like the lepers.
• We/they are too busy – perhaps telling others that we have been or have NOT been cured).
• We/they were never taught the value of gratitude.
• Anger – that we were afflicted in the first place and it set us back.
• Self-centeredness – perhaps we/they are not humble enough to go outside of our interests or concerns.
• Eventually I will be grateful, I’m just not there yet – this is legitimate because we never want to be less than genuinely grateful. All of these reasons, particularly anger, can be both a part of grieving and of healing.
• It is easier to remain the victim – remaining in the cloud of tragedy of disease is somehow oddly more secure than moving on.
• I/they can’t believe that I am really cured – genuine gratitude is profoundly spiritual.
• I/they can’t believe that God, through Jesus Christ, has anything to do with healing – Jesus ultimately says to the one grateful leper, “Your faith has made you well.” Sometimes in our shortsightedness we don’t connect healing with God’s love or presence.
What moves that one leper toward, closer and indeed to the very feet of Jesus? Gratitude. Almost all of the above are addressed or referred to in every Eucharistic celebration. Let’s move closer to God. Let’s ritualize gratitude and celebrate the Eucharist more. Let’s be more GRATEFUL!
Gratitude and Stewardship
This weekend we present to all of you our annual Stewardship Report at all Masses and for your continued reflection. Stewardship can be described in many ways. One of its roots refers to someone who cares for and distributes wine. Wine must be bottled, stored and served properly to ensure its full taste. Stewardship of wine ensures that its flavor and vintage are maximized. In the same vein, church and community stewardship encourages us to thank the source of all we have been blessed with—God, and to care for it, ensuring that it reaches its maximum potential. Gratitude to God is the first step.
This year I would encourage you to focus on a word that gathers us at all weekend liturgies—TOGETHER.
At the Offertory of each Mass, when I take the basket filled with your contributions, I raise it to God and pray, “Help us to be the BEST stewards of what you have entrusted to us.” I am obviously speaking on behalf of ALL of our community, our HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC COMMUNITY – staff, parishioners, all of us, in a spirit of gratitude to give back to God the many blessings we have received. Stewardship is grounded in gratitude and becomes an expression of and an exercise in CARE. Stewardship, like the Eucharist, is about MORE. The Holy Spirit makes the ordinary bread and wine more: The Body and Blood of Christ. The same Holy Spirit can make us more, and by becoming more we make more of what God has created and what God has intended.
PLEASE read the annual Stewardship Report that is available after Mass in the Narthex. It is also available on our website. It tells a story of the many ways that we have made more of what God has blessed us with here at Holy Family. I hope that you see that we, as a staff and leadership, are trying the BEST that we can to make more of the treasure that you have entrusted to us. However, this report is certainly not complete. It is often difficult to share complete details of our entire mission and the over 120 ministries that carry out our ambitious mission on a daily basis.
Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your commitment to being more. Thank you for your commitment to being Holy Family—Together.
This report is also the basis for continued Stewardship into a bright future here at Holy Family. Let us continue to make more of what God has entrusted to us—TOGETHER.