Podcasts

Ephphatha – Be Opened!

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

We hear God say to us who have fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened; Then the lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute tongue sing for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the Arabah (Isaiah 35:4-6). Then in Mark 7 where Jesus healed the deaf mute, He cries out, “Ephphatha!” That is, “Be opened!”

What we see in these verses is that

  • God transforms:  the blind see, the deaf hear
  • God provides:  streams burst forth in the desert
  • God commands us – be open, Ephphatha!

So, Be open to the Word of God and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Be open to trusting Him to provide. Be open to courageous generosity, showing no partiality (Js 2:1). Open to the poor person who begs you. Open to caring for your neighbors and their needs. Open to protecting the unborn and helping young women choose life.  Open to sharing your time, talent, and treasure. 

When I opened up to trusting God and the Holy Spirit, I got a sense of peace I can’t quite explain. When I stepped out in faith and started giving intentionally, I got a release from stress and worry. I hear this from others, too,  who give sacrificially.  I want you to have this peace. I want you to be free of anxiety. So, Be Open. Trust God, and give to serve the poor. And in that, get the peace beyond understanding, the peace that only comes from God.  

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Give and Do. Do and Give.

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Do not be deceived, my beloved: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. (James 1:16-17,22) What a great stewardship verse. Everything is from God. It is not enough to hear this truth. We must put it into practice. We must Give and Do. 

Foundational to Stewardship is acknowledging God gives us everything. He is the origin of all good giving and every perfect gift. And His most perfect gift is Jesus. His unconditional love. His mercy and forgiveness. His dying on the cross for our sins. This truth is overwhelming. As good stewards, we respond to Him in overwhelming gratitude by receiving His gifts gratefully, developing them and returning them to Him by giving and serving others. Knowing about this is easy enough. Doing it is the hard part. 

The Church in her wisdom gives us the perfect framework for putting stewardship into practice: Pray, Fast, Give Alms. We focus on these in Lent, but they are important all year long. Praying aligns our life with God. Fasting detaches us from ourselves and from our desires. Almsgiving puts God first in our finances and declares our companionship with the poor. 

Praying, fasting, and giving alms are ways to do the word. Are you a doer of the word? Do you give your time in prayer and your talent in service to those in need? Do you fast from desiring more stuff so that you may share your treasure in proportion to the blessings God gives to you?

Observe the commandments carefully (Dt. 4:1,6). Act on them; be doers of the Word. Do not delude yourself that you can pick and choose which to obey – especially those about giving to the Lord of your time, talent, AND treasure. Give and Do. Do and give.

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Everything is Gift

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

God owns everything and God gives us everything – every single thing. Every moment of time. Every ounce of talent and ability. Every dime of treasure we earn when we employ our talents through time. This truth lays the foundation of what our mindset should be towards money. Living Stewardship means we embrace this truth. We acknowledge that everything we have and everything we are is gift from God. And so in overwhelming gratefulness, we receive HIs gifts, we manage them well, and in all humility, we respond to God’s love and blessings by generously sharing these resources – including money – with those in need.

This can be a hard teaching for some of us. We may be tempted to down-play or ignore the Church’s teachings and the Bible passages on giving. But the Church doesn’t back down much like what we read in Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel about Jesus’ teaching that He is the bread of life, that we must consume His body and blood or we don’t have life within us. The disciples were incredulous. Many of them left – His words were too hard to accept. But He didn’t back down. He looks intently at us, like He did the twelve, and asks, “Do we want to leave?” Hopefully, we respond as Peter did, “To whom shall we go?” 

Let’s stand up for what we believe and boldly state like Joshua that today we will serve the Lord (Josh 24:15). Let’s decide that today we will trust God, put Him first, and give generously and courageously of all of our gifts of time, talent, AND treasure. 

                                                                                                                                                                    Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Watch Carefully How You Live

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Paul tells us through Ephesians 5:15-17,20, “Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord…Giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”

We are to be thoughtful, to watch carefully how we live, trying to understand the will of God for our lives.

Let’s consider a few verses that will help  us understand God’s will for us.

  • John 6:29   This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.
  • John 6:39-40   This is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day.
  • 1 Cor. 10:31   Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
  • 1 Thess. 4:3   This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from immorality.
  • 1 Thess. 5:14-18   We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good [both] for each other and for all. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
  • 1 Pet. 2:15   For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people.


The Word of God tells us of the will of God. It tells us what He calls us to do. St. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” Embracing Stewardship as a way of life gives us that framework. It gives us the strength and courage to live counter-culturally, to renew our minds and transform our lives so that we make the most of every opportunity to use our Time, Talents, and Treasure to serve others and glorify God. 

Be grateful for all of God’s gifts to you. Give thanks always. Be the Steward that God wills you to be. 

Thomas Merton, in No Man is an Island, says, “Gratitude shows reverence to God in the way it makes use of His gifts.” (110)

                                                                                                                                                                   Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Stewardship is Hard!

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Living Stewardship can be hard. We think we’re doing all the right things, and often we are. We go to Mass most every week. We put something in the basket. We volunteer, and are members of the Knights of Columbus or Cursillo or some other group. But life is too hard.  Something is not quite right. And then we read about a saint. We hear about someone we know at church who seems to just be able to do and give and do and give – way beyond what seems reasonable, way beyond what we think we can do. We want to do more. We want to trust God and detach from wanting more stuff. We want to try to give courageously. But it is easier said than done. Maybe we should stop trying. Maybe we should give up like Elijah tried to give up.

God knows this. God didn’t let Elijah quit, and He won’t let us quit either. He tells us like He told Elijah in 1 Kings 19: 5-8, “Get up and eat!” He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!” He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

Thankfully, He gives us ample provisions for this journey of discipleship. We “get up and eat” when we go to Mass and hear the Word of God, hear the Gospel preached. We are fed by the Eucharist and find support in a community of like-minded believers. It is Mass and the Sacraments that strengthen us on this journey of stewardship.

We are not meant to journey alone. Jesus sent His disciples out two-by-two (Mark 6:7). So, plug in to your church community. Join a Bible study to help you grow deeper in your discipleship. Give and be a part of the mission of the church. There, in your church community, find the strength and courage to be a joyful, generous, and thankful steward.

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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