Advent – A Season of Hope
Advent is a time of waiting and expectation; a season of quiet anticipation and preparation. We are waiting for our Lord to come into the world as the baby Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. We are also preparing for His return, His second coming as the shepherd-king, to restore harmony and right …
Christmas: A Stewardship Reflection on Sharing
“Bah! Humbug!” was the attitude of Ebenezer Scrooge toward the two gentlemen who came looking for a Christmas donation to help the poor and homeless in the streets of London. “All I want to do is eat, drink and be merry!” was the attitude of the rich fool in Jesus’ parable. Neither the wealthy but …
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ICSC December Stewardship Prayer
Stewardship Prayer Come Lord Jesus! Make us good stewards of Advent.Strengthen our faith; calm our fears. Come Lord Jesus!We hear John the Baptist’s cry.Open our hearts.Give us the humility to repent. Come, Lord Jesus!Let us walk in your light!Show us how we prepare your way;and make straight your paths. Come, Lord Jesus!We give you thanks …
Stewardship Saint for December: Saint John Damascene, Doctor of the Church
John Damascene, also called John of Damascus, is one of the most influential Christian theologians in church history. His writings influenced many Christian intellectuals including Saint Thomas Aquinas. He is sometimes called the last of the Church Fathers. Born in Damascus, Syria, to a wealthy Christian family in 657, John was well educated. He succeeded …
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Stewardship Saint for November: Saint Albert the Great
Saint Albert the Great was a 13th-century German Dominican priest, considered one of the most extraordinary men of his age alongside Peter Lombard, Roger Bacon and Saint Thomas Aquinas. His stewardship of the intellectual life, his students and our life of faith is profound. Born in 1200, near Ulm, Albert was the eldest son of …
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ICSC November Stewardship Prayer
Stewardship Prayer Gracious and loving God, As the autumn season continues its transformation; and the days become shorter, the earth cooler; as we join family and friends in joy and celebration on Thanksgiving Day, we pause to give you thanks and praise for the abundant blessings You have bestowed upon us: for life and health, …
Everything Belongs to God: A Stewardship Reflection on the Gospel reading for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
by the Most Reverend Charles C. Thompson, Archbishop of Indianapolis Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God (Mt 22:21). The Gospel reading for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time contains familiar words of Jesus in response to the Pharisees’ attempt to trap him into saying something that would …
Stewardship Saint for October: Saint Paul of the Cross
Saint Paul of the Cross was born in 1694 in the town of Oavada, in northern Italy, to a wealthy merchant family, the second of sixteen children. At age 19, after a normal childhood, he experienced a conversion that drew him to a life of prayer. When he was 26 years old, during a period …
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ICSC October Stewardship Prayer
Stewardship Prayer Gracious and Loving God, We gather in your name as stewards of this hour: to reflect, learn, give and receive. This time belongs to you, entrusted to us to shine Christ’s light on whomever we encounter; among our family and friends, colleagues and strangers, in our Church or in our world, desperate for …