Good Stewards Remember the Cross

Tonight after our 6pm evening mass we will burn our pledge cards which we took last week, prayed about, and made a commitment to God to take seriously our roles as stewards of our Parish and the Church at large.  Today’s Gospel reminds us of stewardship when Jesus spells out the two foundational commandments, “Love God, Love Neighbor.”

Loving God is a vertical movement, a relationship that moves upward and downward.  God Himself being the Master Steward, taking care of all of creation especially his sons and daughters.  The other relational movement is horizontal; its direction is sideways (left to right, right to left).  The two greatest commandments make a cross + leave it to God to show His subtle genius.

We understand our relationship to the Lord: He provides His grace and we are to respond as His children, living lives of active faith.  That gift that He gives us, His undeserved grace we are to share freely with others, which is the second commandment, the horizontal bar of the cross. 

I believe there are two ways we can demonstrate this love, two ways that stand out to me, obviously there are more than two ways in which we can express our love for neighbor, but again, these two are pivotal.

The first is forgiveness.  The great prayer Jesus taught us reminds us that we ask God to forgive us our trespasses\debts, as we forgive those who trespass against us\or are debited to us.  Sins are debits against our account and acts of righteousness are credited into our account that is why the debit language is used.  Everyone’s actions will be made manifest, every word we utter we are responsible for.  Jesus has set the bar very high and rightly so.  Anyway, forgiveness it is a part of being a steward.  When I withhold forgiveness especially when a person asks for it and I refuse to forgive or still want to get in the last word I am exercising power over another human being, which has not been given to me.  What has been given to me is responsibility for self and others.  In that responsibility I am to extend my hand in love, when someone wrongs me, no matter how bad or what it maybe, if they ask me for forgiveness as a steward entrusted with God’s mercies I am to immediately extend it to them just as Jesus immediately extended it to me after I wronged someone and asked Him to forgive me.  I would go even as far as saying that if a person never asks for forgiveness after wronging me I am still to forgive them in my heart in the presence of Jesus.  Not easy, but as a trust worthy steward whom God has placed His trust in I must act as He did. 

The second aspect of being stewards of love is to take care of the poor.  Pope Francis has been very outspoken on this.  He took the name of Francis because of St. Francis of Assisi, who gave everything in order to follow God and lived in earthly poverty, but there may have never been a richer man in the history of the world when it came to his treasure in heaven.  Pope Francis is motivated by this ideal, to live simply, and to also be generous to those in need.  Many good Christian-Catholics have also taken up this call to serve the poor.

I know, for example, that Bono from U2 has taken up this call with the many charities and causes he is involved in.  (He came to mind because I had U2 on in the background as I was writing this, “Every Breaking Wave…”) We may look at someone like Bono and fret because he has the money to give and that it’s a tax write off or publicity stunt, and not just Bono but anyone of greater means.  That is unfair and it’s not the way Jesus measures.  Everyone is measure-judged by what flows from the heart.  Look at the rich Zacchaeus who when moved by grace paid back fourfold and gave away half of what was his.  Jesus was impressed and assured him in his faith and love.  What we also do sometimes is that we blame the poor for their predicament, we hear things like, “they should go to work, they are milking the system, or why should I pay for them.”  I will not belabor the issue, I will leave you with this, if you can face Jesus and tell Him to His face that you did not give to the poor because they were milking the system or that they should go to work then you’re a braver soul than me.

There you have it, forgive as the Lord has forgiven you, because as Jesus says, “By the measure with which you measure will be measured unto you,” and give to the poor because, “The least you have done unto your brothers and sisters you have done unto me.”  

The symbol of the Cross + is everything to us, it shows us love but it also shows us that all relationships are connected, with God to us and then we with each other, the cross.  A Good Steward keeps that Cross in their heart always, loving God with all their heart, mind, and soul, and loving neighbor as oneself by being merciful and giving without cost.  All good Stewards remember the Cross!