Villa la Paz Newsletter March 2009
Steward: a person morally responsible for the careful use of money, time, talents, or other resources especially with respect to the principles or needs of a community or group.
Webster’s New World Dictionary
Third College Edition
Thus says the Lord: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own.
Isaiah 58:7
Every human face is an epiphany. In the face of the other, especially the vulnerable other, is a wordless call that awakens us to solidarity, to our connection with that other.
Fr. Donald H. Dunson
No Room at the Table
[Orbis Books, 2003]
Everything that we possess is pure gift. Talents, physical appearance, material wealth, all have been given to us by a benevolent Father. We have received these gifts for our own benefit and for the benefit of others. We are stewards of the gifts we have received and must engage in stewardship, the sharing of our gifts with those less fortunate than ourselves. To do such is not easy and may even be painful. We are creatures of insecurity. We fear that we may not have enough in the future for our own needs and postpone our sharing with others until we feel our future is more secure. Many times the postponement becomes indefinite since in our minds our future can never be completely secure. To overcome these doubts and hesitations faith is necessary; faith that if we share with the less fortunate we will receive in kind from our heavenly Father; faith that what we do for the least of these His little ones we do for Him; faith that instead of building up treasures on earth we are storing treasures in heaven. What greater joy can there be than knowing that someone has benefited from our benevolence, that to the person we share with we are a beacon of God’s love. It is an astounding fact that God depends on us to care for His less fortunate children. He cannot impose Himself on us since he has gifted us with free will. Our willingness to care for His poor is born in us and flourishes if we say yes or dies in us if we say no. The choice is ours and cannot be imposed on us by God. This is another indication of the humility and vulnerability of God, His complete dependence on us to do His work.
Our children are stewards also. They share with us their unconditional love, their patience in suffering, their indomitable will to heal, their joy of life. Our home reverberates with their laughter, their singing and at times their tears. It is amazing that despite their suffering and pain they can maintain such positive attitudes and hope for the future. They are pure gift.
I want to end this newsletter with a prayer of Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta, a prayer that sums up our desire for a more just and peaceful world.
O God, we pray for all those in our world who are suffering from injustice; For those who are discriminated against because of their race, color or religion;
For those imprisoned for working for the relief of oppression;
For those who are hounded for speaking the inconvenient truth;
For those tempted to violence as a cry against overwhelming hardship;
For those deprived of reasonable health and education;
For those suffering from hunger and famine;
For those too weak to help themselves and have no one else to help them;
For the unemployed who cry out for work but do not find it.
We pray for anyone of our acquaintance who is personally affected by injustice.
Forgive us, Lord, if we unwittingly share in the conditions or in a system that perpetuates injustice.
Show us how we can serve your children and make your love practical.
We thank you for sharing your gifts with our children. We love you and wish you God’s peace.