Time, Our Most Precious Gift

Dear Parishioners,

For the past two weekends, I’ve been talking about stewardship, which started when God gave Adam and Eve dominion over His creation and told them to cultivate the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, they were not good stewards and lost their privileged position as God’s friends. Thanks to Jesus, we have regained God’s friendship and gifts of Time, Talent, and Treasure. If we are truly grateful, we won’t hoard these gifts just for ourselves; we will share them with God and neighbor.

Let us concentrate for the next several weeks on “Time.” What might we give to God to show our appreciation for the time he has given us already and will give us in the future? Are we willing to sacrifice some extra time in prayers each day? How about some extra time with the entire family?

This is the month of the “Rosary.” For on Oct. 7, 1571, the outnumbered Christian naval forces won a stunning victory over the Turkish Muslim forces at Lepanto, preventing them from over-running the Christian lands in Europe. This happened as Pope Pius V, with a number of his Dominican brothers were praying the rosary in Rome. So, why not spend an extra 15 minutes a day praying the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, or Luminous mysteries? As a matter of fact, Pope Francis prays all 4 sets each day. Or perhaps you could give the Lord 15 minutes each evening reading the Gospels. We just had St. Jerome’s feast who wrote: “Ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” After all, it’s the best seller of all times!

Whatever sacrifice of your time you give back to God will not be forgotten. Your generosity to God will be outdone in one way or another—either now or in the future.

Fr. Carl