 |
|||
|
  DEVOTION AND DELEGATION In his insightful classic Leadership Jazz, former Herman Miller executive Max De Pree stressed the importance of learning how to delegate responsibility and authority. “The good work of leadership requires us to think seriously about the art of delegation and to practice that art diligently.” So, how did this noteworthy industry veteran define it? “It is a precious way of enabling people to participate, to grow, to reach toward their potential—the best process for personal development, because it… Read Complete Article »  Gratitude for Heavenly Intervention The first national Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by the nation’s first president, George Washington, more than two centuries ago, and yet disagreement concerning the relative appropriateness of such a holiday delayed its widespread observance. In the decades prior to the American Civil War, one … Read Complete Article »  Faithfulness and Responsibility Patrick Casey has worked as an emergency medical technician, a part-time forest ranger, and an electrician’s helper, plus he’s served on the boards of a number of public advocacy groups. Most know Patrick, however, from his years of uniformed public service. For four decades he has worked on … Read Complete Article »  Be Prepared. Plan Ahead. Be prepared. The forthright two-word Boy Scout motto is as recognizable as any organizational credo. “As much as possible, be prepared for the unforeseen, the inevitable surprise, the unplanned event.” Wise and sensible, the motto has served generations of scouts quite well, and has … Read Complete Article » |
NOVEMBER 2008 Volume 5, Issue 11 All is a Gift from God. Stewardship Today is a monthly publication for parishioners whose mission is to assist Catholics in understanding and embracing the importance of Stewardship in our daily lives. Stewardship is the acknowledgement that all we are and all we possess are gifts that God has given us for our temporary use and for our use in helping our fellow man. Embracing Stewardship as a way of life starts with the personal need within each of us to return to God a thankful portion of our time in the form of prayer, our talents in the form of ministry to others, and the treasure He has entrusted to our care as gifts to His glory. A Total Stewardship Diocese Copyright © 2008 Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. Reproduction of this material is prohibited without advance written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.  |
|
 |
||
IN THIS ISSUE: TOP STORY: » Devotion and Delegation PRAYER: » Gratitude for Heavenly Intervention MINISTRY: » Faithfulness and Responsibility FINANCE: » Be Prepared. Plan Ahead. MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT: » Ministry Spotlight in the Baton Rouge Diocese The CCDBR Community Comes Together for Christmas Campaign BACK TO TOP ^  |
DEVOTION AND DELEGATION In his insightful classic Leadership Jazz, former Herman Miller executive Max De Pree stressed the importance of learning how to delegate responsibility and authority. “The good work of leadership requires us to think seriously about the art of delegation and to practice that art diligently.” So, how did this noteworthy industry veteran define it? “It is a precious way of enabling people to participate, to grow, to reach toward their potential—the best process for personal development, because it gives people the opportunity to learn by doing, to take risks, and to become comfortable with the consequences of their own performance.” Every church parish is a perfect illustration of this vital concept, as ordained clergy delegate responsibilities to church staff members and dozens of gifted parish volunteers. Though this is certainly true, unique responsibilities are reserved for those known by the respected title Father, spiritual shepherds called by God to minister to the needs of a local flock and revered for their devotion to the Lord and those they serve. For the truly devoted leader, certain responsibilities are never delegated, a picture of commitment God addresses directly. “I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, shepherding them rightly.” Ezekiel, the Old Testament prophet, recorded these words of great personal encouragement—a message of prophetic reality regarding God’s abiding presence and the eternal kingdom to come. Just as caring parents relinquish none of the love and responsibility they know as mothers and fathers, so our Heavenly Father looks after and tends his sheep like no other. In fact, the degree to which we are able to offer meaningful spiritual nurture to others is testimony of God’s example of unconditional love for us. The Lord seeks out and searches for us when we stray, returning us to the fold. He tends to the needs of the hurting and those in need of healing, and he provides purpose and direction to the lost. He rescues, and he offers rest. He is loving. He is God. And to his everlasting glory, he invites us to embrace the wonderful picture of his grace and goodness that is his bride, the Church. Through a level of special giftedness that reminds us of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, it is there that we—to paraphrase Mr. De Pree—learn to participate, to grow and to reach our ultimate potential. As God’s beloved sheep. Send Stewardship Today to a Friend |
“Be on such simple, cordial terms with those under you that when you are all together, it would be impossible to say which is the superior.”
~ St. Vincent de Paul ~ |
 |
||
|
IN THIS ISSUE: TOP STORY: » Devotion and Delegation PRAYER: » Gratitude for Heavenly Intervention MINISTRY: » Faithfulness and Responsibility FINANCE: » Be Prepared. Plan Ahead. MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT: » Ministry Spotlight in the Baton Rouge Diocese The CCDBR Community Comes Together for Christmas Campaign BACK TO TOP ^ |
GRATITUDE FOR HEAVENLY INTERVENTION The first national Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by the nation’s first president, George Washington, more than two centuries ago, and yet disagreement concerning the relative appropriateness of such a holiday delayed its widespread observance. In the decades prior to the American Civil War, one woman chose to intervene, reintroducing the notion in a series of annual editorials. The magazine publisher Sarah Hale repeatedly requested the country set aside the last Thursday in November “to offer God our tribute of joy and gratitude for the blessings of the year.” On the heels of the Battle of Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln agreed, officially proclaiming a national day of Thanksgiving. Each year, Americans suspend most regular routines, share fellowship with family and friends, and offer thanksgiving for the blessings of Almighty God. The very things we consider routine likely form the basis of lives for which we are rightly grateful. Often, when we take these blessings for granted, we aren’t so much insensitive as we’ve simply become accustomed to our way of life. Significantly, a day of targeted recognition helps usher in the season of Advent, signaling the celebration of Christ’s coming. God has actively intervened in the ways of man. “Shepherd of Israel, listen, guide of the flock of Joseph! From your throne upon the cherubim reveal yourself. Stir up your power, come to save us. Turn again, Lord of hosts; look down from heaven and see; attend to this vine, the shoot your right hand has planted. Revive us, and we will call on your name.” “You, Lord, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Too long have we been like those who do not rule, who do not bear your name. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you.” The words of the Psalmist and the Old Testament prophet Isaiah remind us that the God who created the heavens and the earth rends the heavens and has become directly involved, intervening personally in the things of man. The great intervention? The Incarnation, the coming of the divine Christ child. This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for what has come to us, and for the One who is coming. Send Stewardship Today to a Friend “Instead of complaining that God has hidden Himself, we should give Him thanks for having revealed so much of Himself.”
~ Blaise Pascal ~ |
 Prayers of the Saints: St. Martin of Tours (c. 316–397) The child of pagan parents, St. Martin of Tours was born in what is now western Hungary. Like his father, he entered the military and reached the rank of imperial guard, a position he held when he famously encountered a shivering beggar and shared with him his cloak. The incident precipitated his decision to leave military service, landing him ultimately under the personal tutelage of the French saint and Doctor of the Church St. Hilary of Poitiers. Selfless, generous and unassuming, he reluctantly accepted the position of Bishop of Tours, and is credited with founding both the first monastic community in the region and the first seminary for the training of priests there. He traveled widely and was known for crisscrossing his entire diocese many times, often on foot. Various doctrinal debates placed him at the center of certain controversies, yet his chosen ascetic life earned him the grudging respect of many. A prayer traditionally attributed to St. Martin illustrates the place of honor he holds in the hearts of those involved in conflicts of all kinds: “Lord, if your people have need of my services, I will not avoid the toil. Your will be done. I have fought the good fight long enough, yet if you bid me continue to hold the line in defense of your camp, I will never beg to be excused from failing strength. I will do the work you entrust to me. While you command, I will fight beneath your banner.” “A bystander may sometimes, perhaps, see more of the game than he that plays it.”
~ Jonathan Swift ~ |
 |
||
|
IN THIS ISSUE: TOP STORY: » Devotion and Delegation PRAYER: » Gratitude for Heavenly Intervention MINISTRY: » Faithfulness and Responsibility FINANCE: » Be Prepared. Plan Ahead. MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT: » Ministry Spotlight in the Baton Rouge Diocese The CCDBR Community Comes Together for Christmas Campaign BACK TO TOP ^ |
FAITHFULNESS AND RESPONSIBILITY Patrick Casey has worked as an emergency medical technician, a part-time forest ranger, and an electrician’s helper, plus he’s served on the boards of a number of public advocacy groups. Most know Patrick, however, from his years of uniformed public service. For four decades he has worked on behalf of his community fighting fires. He began as a ‘boot,’ a rookie firefighter serving a firehouse his uncle had captained a generation before. Ten years into his career, he was training others. Ten more years, and he was training other departments and their captains. Next year, he’ll retire, having served his city as the most successful commissioner the department has ever known. At every step up the career ladder, Commissioner Patrick Casey accomplished what others in their fields so often find true. When he showed himself faithful at one task, he earned additional consideration and was given increasingly more advanced responsibility time and again. Each time, he proved faithful. Each time, he proved capable. Faithful every step of the way, Commissioner Casey was granted increasingly more demanding duties. The Lord’s Parable of the Talents, found in the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew’s gospel, illustrates this exact principle. Three different servants were entrusted with varying levels of responsibility. To one, the master gave five talents, to another three, and to yet another one talent. Those who invested well received the greatest affirmation. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.” Our culture is blessed with millions of decent, diligent, hard-working people who are faithful in addressing a multitude of responsibilities every day. As with Patrick Casey, their lives show a pattern of profound maturity. They too have taken on more and more responsibility. Very few may know their stories of faithfulness. They’ve offered quiet persistence. Not for headlines, but because of an undying love for life, God and other people. Maybe that’s true for you. The principle is the same. Be faithful in the small things. God knows. Send Stewardship Today to a Friend “Inanimate objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories: those that don’t work, those that break down, and those that get lost.”
~ Russell Baker ~ |
 Body and Soul The element cesium is highly unstable. It reacts with volatility to both water and air. Only a handful of chemical elements are quite so reactive. Like the others, cesium is rarely surfaced in its purest form as a result. In nature, purity is distinctive. So, thus, is absolute consumption, one reality completely overtaking another. In spiritual life, true worship and devotion involves all of a person—actions and thoughts, senses and feelings. Longing for God in a harsh wilderness, the Psalmist David wrote the following: “For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts. Like a land parched, lifeless, and without water. So I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory. For your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship!” The king knew a consuming hunger for the Almighty deep in his soul, a longing that was palpable even in the senses of his body. “I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands, calling on your name. My soul shall savor the rich banquet of praise, with joyous lips my mouth shall honor you! When I think of you upon my bed, through the night watches I will recall that you indeed are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.” From the beginning of each day to the end of it, a devoted worshiper yearns for God, worships and serves him, with purity and consuming focus, body and soul. And focused and aware, the follower of God is better able to serve others. |
 |
||
|
IN THIS ISSUE: TOP STORY: » Devotion and Delegation PRAYER: » Gratitude for Heavenly Intervention MINISTRY: » Faithfulness and Responsibility FINANCE: » Be Prepared. Plan Ahead. MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT: » Ministry Spotlight in the Baton Rouge Diocese The CCDBR Community Comes Together for Christmas Campaign BACK TO TOP ^ |
BE PREPARED. PLAN AHEAD. Be prepared. The forthright two-word Boy Scout motto is as recognizable as any organizational credo. “As much as possible, be prepared for the unforeseen, the inevitable surprise, the unplanned event.” Wise and sensible, the motto has served generations of scouts quite well, and has helped former scouts address the need for planning and preparation in adult, family, community and business concerns, too. One wonders if scouts were among those prepared for recent upheavals in financial markets. When global financial systems transported investors on an unexpectedly brutal carnival ride, hosts of people proclaimed, “We didn’t buy a ticket for this.” It seems few saw this coming, though the need for sensible planning and preparation is as old as time. A New Testament parable of Jesus, one found only in the Gospel of St. Matthew, relates the importance of planning ahead. The unique historic tale, as recorded in the twenty-fifth chapter, refers to the custom of bridesmaids and others greeting a bridegroom on the road as he traveled to the site of his wedding. Long journeys required wise advance planning. Oil supplies, the basic fuel for a simple lamp, would run low, and ready replacement fuel might be difficult to find en route. The wise planned ahead; the foolish did not. “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.” The outcome is predictable. “Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” Those with ample supplies of oil were able to awaken and make the way for the trip clear, but the others were forced to try and purchase additional oil in the middle of the night. “While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.” “Stay awake,” Jesus cautioned, “for you know neither the day nor the hour.” A picture of his return, the underlying theme is transferable to much of life. Too much time, money and energy are unwisely invested in attempts to correct problems that should have been anticipated. Oil lamps require oil. Complex activities, in particular, require thoughtful planning and preparation. Good and wise stewards plan ahead, not hording supplies, but simply addressing personal and family needs long term. Those with a ready supply not only take care of themselves, but find they are better prepared to do the same for others. Unexpected events, just as with the Savior’s return, are greeted best by those who are prepared—those with enough oil to keep their lamps burning. Send Stewardship Today to a Friend “Why pay money to have your family tree traced? Just go into politics, and your opponents will do it for you.”
~ Bob Phillips ~ |
 Of Piñatas and Cornucopias Hanging from an overhead tree limb, beam or pole, the sight of a decorative piñata has become a fairly common occurrence in contemporary holiday celebrations of all kinds. With roots in a variety of honored cultures, the piñata enjoys a history as colorful as its many recurrent incarnations. But, as children well know, a piñata’s singular distinction has little to do with its origin or external design. What delights young people is a piñata’s internal cargo of candy and other goodies. And this Thanksgiving season, yet another symbol of overflowing supply will grace many holiday households. Like a piñata, the cornucopia—or horn of plenty—is graced with a heritage rich in folklore and myth and, as most often displayed, is similarly brimming with tokens of harvest and blessing. Appropriately utilized, piñatas and cornucopias are wonderfully fun and symbolic pictures of bounty. Open to simple comparison, perhaps they’re something more. Mentally placed side by side, maybe they’re also valuable pictures of competing philosophies concerning blessing and supply. One object preserves its worth until that special moment when value is reluctantly forced out. The other is specifically designed to allow ready access to its contents through a permanent, generous and inviting opening. Which object best represents our willingness to share with others, especially in uncertain times? Do difficulties encourage us to protect and preserve what we have, placing our resources well out of reach of others, or do we sensitively remember there are always others in greater need? In loving mercy, and like the horn of plenty, our hands can remain open, allowing God’s bounty to flow through us to those in greater need. “May you excel in this gracious act. Test the genuineness of your love by your concern for others.” “One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong with us is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclination.”
~ St. John of Avila ~ |
 |
||
|
IN THIS ISSUE: TOP STORY: » Devotion and Delegation PRAYER: » Gratitude for Heavenly Intervention MINISTRY: » Faithfulness and Responsibility FINANCE: » Be Prepared. Plan Ahead. MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT: » Ministry Spotlight in the Baton Rouge Diocese The CCDBR Community Comes Together for Christmas Campaign BACK TO TOP ^ |
MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT: THE CCDBR COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN In the minds of more than a few thoughtful parishioners, the extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend is—in its purest form—one of the most treasured opportunities we take as a culture to express thanks for the many blessings with which God has blessed us. Sensitive souls are aware such is not the case for all of our neighbors. The holidays are a quite different experience for those less fortunate, and their numbers suggest a sobering reality. As the staff of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge is quick to note, “One in every four children in East Baton Rouge Parish lives in poverty. Their parents struggle every day just to put food on the table and pay the electric bill.” And their situations have inspired the development of the meaningful annual program known as The CCDBR Community Comes Together for Christmas Campaign. In the weeks before Thanksgiving, before busy schedules capture all of our attention, it is wise to consider how we might show the love of Christ this Christmas by extending his love to others. This campaign is an excellent way to get involved, and now is the ideal time to decide you’ll take part. Many donors and volunteers pool resources to adopt families, none of whom “need be Catholic.” Additional groups help with gift distribution, and some donors extend their generosity well into the new year, helping seniors with winter utility bill payments. Needs in the community are great, and opportunities for meaningful service are many. “The Christmas Spirit comes alive by giving to others.” Your decision to become more involved will make a true difference. Visit the CCDBR website to download a donor form, view pictures of last year’s successful campaign, or invest a few minutes to read last season’s Community Comes Together newsletter. Additional information and contact with program coordinators are available through the following web address: www.ccdiobr.org. Simply click on the option “2008 Christmas.” BACK TO TOP ^ |
|