October 2022

Autumn is finally here, the perfect season for mindfulness and saints.

The following homily, delivered by Fr. Johnson at St. John the Evangelist Church in Greenfield, WI on September 17, 2022, was recorded, transcribed, and edited (Lanoux; September 28, 2022).

Dear friends in Christ, I came to the U.S. a few months ago and, before that, served as a missionary in Uganda: a wonderful and beautiful land but a poor country.  Mostly, people survive on very basic food items.  Yet they are the happiest among East Africans, according to research published by the United Nations regarding the International Day of Happiness (March 21, 2022).

Now, after twenty years of missionary service there, I have come to realize that, despite the different circumstances and conditions, people in Uganda are no different from people in the U.S.  Some are happy, while others feel depressed about their struggles in life.  So, reading through today’s gospel passage, it is clear that monetary wealth does not determine happiness or contentment in life.

Today’s gospel tells us about stewardship.  God has entrusted us with his riches, so we are to be held accountable to him and to one another.  Jesus tells us that the one who is not trustworthy in the little things cannot be trustworthy in the big things, just as those who cannot be honest about small things cannot be honest about great riches.

The Lord also tells us that money is not everything.  Real wealth is the mercy, the grace, of God whose riches are the wonderful people— spouses, children, parents, the near and dear ones— who need our care and support.

So, let us ask ourselves: What kind of steward am I?  Do I give faithful account to the Lord?  Then, let us ask God for the grace to recognize the wonderful riches that God has bestowed on us.  Let us count these blessings as real wealth.  Not that money and worldly goods are bad, but they should not rule our lives.  The grace of God and what he has entrusted to our care should be our real wealth.

Today, let us ask the Lord’s blessing that we may value and respect God’s gifts so that we may we become true children of God, good stewards with his wealth.  God bless each one of us.

October mailing (English & Spanish)

   

   

 Prayerful thoughts

All Christians are but God’s stewards.  Everything we have is on loan from the Lord, entrusted to us for a while to use in serving him (John MacArthur).

Gracious God, open our ears to hear your voice.  Lead our feet on your path as we walk with you and in solidarity with others.  Fill our lives with your presence and peace as you bless and make use of us (Benjamin Haley).

Loving God, bless your people with generosity of spirit.  May our days be marked by love for our brothers and sisters, and may we be filled with the resolve to live in solidarity with them.  In all that we say and all that we do, may compassion guide us; and may others see within us a reflection of your perfect love (Fr. Joseph Gosselin, MS).

O God, who feels our pain, open our hearts to those in need.  May our own pain and hurt help us feel that of others and lead us to walk with them through suffering to hope.  We are grateful for the life that you pour out on us and for that which we, in turn, pour out on others in Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit (Paco Wertin).

Pause for a moment and look around you.  Simply thank God for all the gifts that you have right now, all the gifts saved from the wreck of life: The lamp that illumines this page, the chair that gives you comfort, the home that provides shelter.  That’s a good exercise of stewardship.  Thank God for the sun and the stars in the sky, for the support of friends, for the opportunities of a new day, for the ability to laugh and cry.  A disciple receives everything with gratitude.  It is prayer that helps keep the heart grateful and filled with joy (Robert F. Morneau).

Remember that the Christian life is one of action, not of speech and daydreams.  Let there be few words and many deeds, and let them be done well (St. Vincent Pallotti).

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