Preparing for the End

Last week I presided over a funeral for a life-long Catholic of 85 years. His sons agreed to have a Funeral Mass because “that’s what Dad wanted.” Before Communion I gave my typical explanation that those Catholics who feel prepared may come forward to receive Jesus in a sacramental way, and those non-Catholics who would like to receive Jesus in their hearts may come forward for a “spiritual communion.”  Only one person came forward to receive Jesus. I was a bit surprised. But then I thought, “I guess they are just being honest. All but one felt prepared to receive our Lord.”

There are many ways to explain the beauty of the Mass. As we approach the end of our liturgical year, we may consider the Mass as an anticipation of the End Times, or the end of our own life. The Lord invites us to come to Him, and we begin with a Penitential Act, praying for His mercy and forgiveness. Then we praise Him with the Gloria, listen to His Words of Wisdom, remember what He did for us in the Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. All these things are meant to prepare us to receive Him in Holy Communion. And most of the time many of us feel ready to receive Him. What gives us that assurance?

We have gone to Confession and are in a state of grace. We have been catechized about the Eucharist and believe in the teachings of the Church. But do we have the desire in our heart to become what we receive? To think, feel, act and love as Jesus does? We may have that desire to some degree, but we can always become more like Jesus. The Church is ever calling us to grow in this regard and one of the ways She does so is through Stewardship Spirituality. 

The four core values of stewardship correspond to the life of Christ, and invite us to become more Christlike. They are Identity, Trust, Gratitude and Love. Jesus knows His core Identity as the beloved Son of God. Through Baptism we have been incorporated into Christ as beloved sons and daughters of God. Jesus had complete Trust in the love of His Father for Him; and He calls us to trust in the love of our Heavenly Father who provides for all or our needs (cf. Matthew 6: 25-34). Jesus had Gratitude for the gifts He had received and calls us to do the same (Luke 22: 19). And Jesus poured out His Love for all people, and calls us to this high ideal (John 15: 12-17).

This year we have focused on five phases of Stewardship: Faith, Prayer, Talent, Creation and Vocations. This weekend we focus on Stewardship of Treasure. The principles are the same in every phase. We claim our Identity as the children of God who shares His love with us by granting us certain gifts, such as treasure. In fact, everything we have is a gift from God. Our faith in the love God has for us leads us to Trust that He will continue to provide for us. We are filled with Gratitude for the gifts He has shared with us. And we express our trust and gratitude to God by returning a portion of our gifts back to Him in Love. But how can we share gifts of love with the unseen God?  By sharing our gifts of love with those whom we can see, with our neighbors, with the poor and with our Parish Family.

I invite everyone to prayerfully reflect on the core values of Stewardship this weekend. Consider the treasure the Lord had entrusted to you. Express your gratitude to God for this treasure. Then ask Him how much of it He would like you to share with our Parish Family. He is calling all of us into a leap of faith, to trust that, after we make this sacrifice, He will continue to provide for us. Then, as an expression of love for God and for our Parish Family, fill out a pledge card and bring it forward during Mass this weekend. Entrust a portion of your treasure to the Lord for the calendar year 2026.

Be assured that whatever amount you return to the Lord for use within His Church is greatly appreciated by me, the Parish Ministry Team and Finance Council. The Lord is doing wonderful things in our Parish, and can continue to do much more through your offering. But if you are unable to share any treasure this year, and if you find yourself in need of assistance, please let us know and we will do whatever we can to help you. For we are a Family on Mission together. That mission is to help as many people as possible to prepare for our eventual end—that it may become a new beginning in communion with Jesus.