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TIME, TALENT, and TREASURE
God
calls us to generously return gifts that he gives us to help build his
Kingdom, and to help each other. We call this STEWARDSHIP. Our parish
is committed to the stewardship of time, talent and treasure. This kind
of sharing makes it possible for us to realize our mission as a parish
community. From the prayer of St. Francis, “…it is in giving that we
receive…”.
If you
truly believe that all we have comes from God, that all is gift; then
even our Time and our Talents ultimately belong to God. Do we
prioritize our plans or do we plan our priorities? When we become
stewards of our Time and Talents, we begin to prioritize how we use our
twenty-four hours a day. In the same way that we must give honor to God
each day, through prayer and sacrifice, we know that in the Parable of
the Talents (Matthew 25:14..) Jesus encourages us to faithfully use the
talents that he has given and be prepared to return those talents with
increase.
Sharing the
first fruits of our time and our talents means that we have taken the
time to discover that we have been "called and gifted" for a purpose;
also, that we recognize our important role in building and maintaining
the family of St. Mark.
St. Paul taught three things that sharing the of your Treasure should be:
Planned:
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Pray about it. Make sharing of your treasure
a well thought out action. The diocese recommends 50% to your parish,
40% to charities, and 10% to the diocese. |
Regular:
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Be consistent with your giving. It is challenge that helps us develop self-discipline, responsibility and maturity. |
Proportional:
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In
keeping with your income. "As each one has received a gift, use it to
serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. (1 Peter 4:10)
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"We
cannot stand idly by, enjoying our riches and freedom if, in any place,
the Lazarus of the 20th Century stands at our doors."
Pope John Paul II
Well
grounded in the Old Testament is the concept of Tithing. "All tithes of
the land, whether in grain from the fields or in fruit from the trees,
belong to the Lord, as sacred to him." [Leviticus 27:30] The New
Testament helps us understand all belongs to God and our sharing of our
treasure comes out of a DISCIPLE'S desire to invest and extend the
Kingdom of God. Jesus encouraged giving in proportion to what we have
received, praising the poor widow for her generous gift. [Luke 21:2]
Sharing
of the first fruits of of our Time - our Talents - our Treasure is a
lifelong & powerful experience of what it means to be a disciple.
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