“How can I repay the Lord for all the good done for me?  I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” (Ps 116:12-13)

Today so many Catholics come to worship and receive the Eucharist.  In Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response. The United States Bishops’ emphasize the importance of combining worship and service in what they call Eucharistic stewardship.  The Eucharist is central to stewardship. “If this celebration (of the Eucharist) is to be sincere and thorough, it must lead to various works of charity and mutual help, as well as missionary activity and to different forms of Christian witness.”

As stewards, it is necessary that as we encounter Christ in the Mass, we reflect in our words and actions that we go forth in his name, led to share our time, talent and treasure in significant ways.  If we feel we are blessed with God’s presence and love in the Eucharist this Easter, we must reflect that same love and presence in our meeting with others. We ask for help always in the form of prayer.

Lord God, you alone are the source of every good gift, of the vast array of our universe, and the mystery of each human life.  We praise you and we thank you for your great power and your tender, faithful love.

Everything we are and everything we have is your gift, and after having created us, you have given us into the keeping of your son, Jesus Christ.

Fill our minds with his truth and our hearts with his love, that in his spirit we may be bonded together into a community of faith, a parish family, a caring people.

In the name and spirit of Jesus, we commit ourselves to be good stewards of the gifts entrusted to us, to share our time, our talent, and our material gifts as an outward sign of the treasure we hold in Jesus.  Amen.