Charles

Holy Thursday. What a powerful message. Jesus serves his disciples through the washing of their feet. Their sinky, dirty, gross feet. Jesus strives to teach us to serve one another. He was the prime example of what it means to be a steward throughout his entire life. How can we continue to stretch ourselves as a steward, with Him as our model?

Photo taken by Carol Malick, 2011 Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper

At the Holy Thursday Mass I attended at St. Anne's in Rittman, OH I heard a story. A very uplifting and beautiful story of a truly ecumenical effort by the many churches in the city. A man named Charles lives in the area and is not well-to-do. He had very little, but strived to stretch himself.

He would visit the churches and talk with the ministers/priests. After visiting St. Anne's several times he left 7 pennies on the altar. Another time he left two sets of 7 pennies, still other times he would leave 3 or 4 sets, all the way up to 7 sets of 7 pennies. Charles felt that 7 was a powerful number.

Charles has a mental health disorder of some kind and has been hospitalized due to it. Instead of the church folks in Rittman feeling relieved that he is getting help and that "he's not our problem anymore" they pitched in and different churches have taken up different collections to help when he gets back into his home. One church was able to cover the cost of a new water heater, another has been able to supply people to re-paint his home. Still others have been cleaning or purchasing a new appliance or two. This community has come together to ensure that when Charles gets home he will have a safe place to live and will not have to worry whether important appliances are going to sputter and die out in the near future.

In the Holy Thursday Gospel (John 13: 1-15) Jesus says"If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."Jesus wants us to do for others what he has done for us. He has given us a model to follow, how will we choose to follow it?

He died for us. He purchased for us eternal salvation. He wants for us to do for others...



On Saturday, April 13 the Journey Together for Justice Ministry through St. Hilary and Faith Lutheran is sponsoring a Day of Service. This is a follow up to the Lenten Speaker Series that was sponsored by the two churches to encourage parishioners to Live the Gospel Message of Matthew 25: The Lord calls us to give food to the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, care for the sick and the imprisoned.  Jesus says: "Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me." Consider whether you are able to give some of your valuable time for the least of God's people on this day of service. Sign up online, now!

Stewardship as a way of life. 

That sounds hard.

At St. Hilary, on a daily basis it's not hard. In fact I can think of 5 examples of how Stewardship has been a way of parish life TODAY alone.

5 Stewardship Examples from Today

1. Card Party Wednesdays: Wait, playing cards is a part of Stewardship? Matthew 25 calls us to welcome  and care for others. In this ministry, a lot of fun is sure to be had by all. Attend a gathering of the card players every Wednesday between 1:30-3:00 and see the camaraderie and ability for each person to find comfort in being together with a group of fun Catholics.  

2. Girl Scouts Making Cookies: Serving God and Neighbor is a tall order, but the Girl Scouts were baking for their neighbors today. I didn't see them sneak even one cookie for themselves! The girls are being taught by their troop leaders to care for others and to work with a ministry within our parish. The cookies they make are being donated to the Cookie Ministry, whose members will bag the cookies and deliver them to the bagged lunch program at St. Bernard's in Akron.

3. Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesdays are a day of constant visitors to the parish between 10:00 am and 8:00 pm. Anyone is welcome to stop in to visit with Jesus in the Reservation Chapel at the back of the church. Time is a big part of Stewardship--time spent in prayer. These prayerful individuals are giving their time to God each week through prayer and reflection. The first Wednesday in February will begin our parish initiative to increase Eucharistic Adoration. Parishioners will be asked to prayerfully consider giving an hour during this perpetual time (beginning after Wednesday's 9:30 am Mass and ending with Thursdays 7:00 am Mass). Will you or a ministry you are involved give an hour each month?

4. Mass: The students from the St. Hilary Day School participate fully in the Wednesday 9:30 am Mass each week. This time is such a great example of Stewardship because every child is actively engaged in the Mass and many of the children are also involved as lectors and singers during Mass.

5. Team work: Staff members working together. Students leaning from each other. Volunteers helping each other with their tasks. Phone calls being taken while someone is away from their desk. Messages being delivered. St. Hilary would crumble without the teamwork that exists each day.

Consider how Stewardship can be more of a part of your daily life!