Podcasts

God is Good

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

God is good… All the time… This familiar call-and-response is how Fr. Ajani began his homily. And we dutifully responded. But then he asked us a question that made us think, “Have you ever given that statement its due? Have you pondered deeply how good God truly is?”

We get our first glimpse of just how good God is at the very beginning of the Bible in the story of creation. God gave Adam everything. He provided. Even when Adam chose to go his own way and disobey God, God still provided. He didn’t abandon Adam and Eve as he took them from the garden. He sewed clothes for them. He gave them work. He stayed with them. He does the same for us. Everything we need and have is given to us from God. Everything!

King David confirms this truth in 1 Chron 29: 

  • V.11   For all in heaven and on earth is yours
  • V.12   Riches and glory are from you
  • V.14   For everything is from you

Think about this for a moment. Every single thing you have is a gift from God. Every moment of time; every ounce of talent; every dime of treasure. Add to these gifts God’s unconditional love for you, His mercy and forgiveness. Jesus gives us His real presence in the Eucharist – thank you, Lord. And we have the gift of eternal life with God in heaven because of Jesus’s  suffering and dying on the cross. “Awesome” is an overused term today, but truly – How awesome. When we embrace this truth for our lives, we realize that His generosity is overwhelming! How are we to respond to God for all these gifts, blessings, and benefits? 

 

Humble gratitude – yes. Praise and thanksgiving – of course. And to live boldly by putting God first in every area of our life. To live a stewardship life, a life of prayer, participation, and generosity. A good steward receives God’s gifts gratefully, manages them to the best of his/her ability, and shares them courageously out of love and justice. God is good – all of the time, and so we share His good with our neighbors.  

                                                                                                                                                                Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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James is Tough Love

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

James in chapter 5, verses 1-6 is tough love. He says,  “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.” Tough words. Tough love.

James didn’t stutter or stumble. He didn’t mince words. He speaks truth. He tells us straight out about what terrible consequences we will endure if we become so comfortable in our wealth that we become complacent, we ignore the needs of the poor, and worse, if we think we’re so rich we don’t need God. Moses warned us about this, too, in Deuteronomy 8: 12-14, “lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built fine houses and lived in them, your silver and gold has increased, and all your property has increased, you then become haughty of heart and forget the LORD, your God.” 

He goes on to say it won’t go well for us if we forget God, if we stop seeking first His kingdom and instead, we go so far as to withhold wages (alms) from the workers (the poor). Benjamin Franklin said it this way, “A full belly is the mother of all evil.”

What obstacles does money put before you, causing you to sin and hindering your bringing God’s love and compassion to others? Eliminate them. Mark’s Gospel tells us that if something causes us to sin, to cut it out (Mk 9:43-48). How? By putting God first – first in our hearts, and first in our finances. Invest your wealth in the needs of the poor – the incorruptible treasures of heaven. St. Augustine is known to have said, “God has no need of your money. But the poor have. Give to the poor and you give to God.”

 

Give to help the poor. Doing so is like giving a cup of cold water to those who belong to Christ (Mk 9:41). Doing so allows God to use you as a vessel of His mercy.

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Called to Serve

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Jesus teaches that we are called to serve others. He tells us in Mark 9:35 that if we wish to be first, we shall be the last of all and the servant of all. We put ourselves last and sacrifice for the good of others. To sacrifice sounds like hardship, not an activity we’d enthusiastically seek out. But, did you know that sacrifice means to make sacred, to make holy? 

When we love someone, we want to serve them, we want to sacrifice for them. It’s almost that we can’t help but do for them. We give to who and what we love. We love God, and so we give to Him. We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. So we give to our neighbor’s need out of love for God. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for Him. 

We humble ourselves when we put other’s needs ahead of our own. When we share our resources of time, talent, and treasure to serve others, we sacrifice. In this, we make our giving holy and those we serve become sacred. St. Peter reminds us in his first letter, “As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct.”  When our conduct includes sacrificial giving, we become more holy, we grow closer to God. That’s what’s most important. That’s what makes us truly happy. There is no happiness without holiness.

We read last week in James that faith without works is dead. Stewardship puts our faith into action. This is who we are. This is how we conduct ourselves. It is in giving to and serving the least among us that we become holy. Our works make an impact for the good of God’s kingdom. In this holy giving, we receive more than we could ever possess on our own. What can you do and give in service to others? 

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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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