“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”- Cicero

Sometimes when a parish does not have enough involvement in its ministries, or is having difficulties with finances, the first reaction is, “and stewardship didn’t work”.

This presumes that stewardship is about generosity.  Somehow, the parish has not done enough to encourage parishioners to be more generous in their donations of time, talent and treasure.

Stewardship is never about generosity, but rather about gratitude. Gratitude is the strongest motivation for giving.  When people give of themselves to the parish, the diocese, the community, they do so because they are grateful. It makes no difference who the bishop or pope is. A mature faith allows us to realize that we have enough and more than we need and that giving is a celebration of life.  This is stewardship: giving after reflecting on your blessings and giving out of gratitude. How do we do this?

On the first weekend of the month, All Hallows’ Outreach and Social Justice Committee invites parishioners to consider some of the many ways we express good stewardship in the community.  Wherever you find yourself today, this is presented to help you start tomorrow.

We have a sense of what God expects from us because we are so aware of what he gives us.  Serving the needs of others beyond the parish is something he expects. This month’s outreach is to The Interfaith Shelter Network.