31st Sunday of Ordinary Time

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is lord alone!” Is he? Is that our prayer? Is God the one lord in our lives or have we forgotten him, replacing him with many other gods that preoccupy us and demand our attention? If God is a stranger to us, then we have to admit that there are other gods in our lives taking up our time, gods like sports, our jobs, television, or hobbies to name a few. With so much to do and only 24 hours in the day, making time for God can become a distant priority for some of us.
 
When that happens, how sincere then is our love for God? It is easy to say that we love God but you probably know from your personal experiences that empty words don’t generate love. Love isn’t a sentiment; it is an action. Love is what love does. Wouldn’t those words sound hollow to you if someone kept saying, “I love you,” without any evidence to show it?
 
How then is this evidence that we love God best rendered? The simplest answer I ever heard was once provided by Gale Sayers, a player for the Chicago Bears decades ago when he said, “God is first, you are second, and I am third.”
 
At the start of any given day, upon awakening, how much thought do we give to God? The ancient Israelites began and ended their day with the prayer we heard in the gospel. For them, nothing was more important than remembering God. The same should be true for us. Out of the 168 hours in the week, how much do you give to God? Can you commit yourself to giving two hours of your time in prayer and service, beginning with coming to Mass every week? Is what you place in the collection basket loose change from your pocket or does that offering to the parish reflect a true gift from your heart? When you think of all that God has blessed you with, is God really asking too much of you?
 
As we venture through the day, what influences our choices the most? Are we concerned about others in our midst or just ourselves? I think of the times I am intent on getting something done or getting from here to there, oblivious to what is happening around me. In those moments, I am denying myself the chance to be in touch with God.
 
God wants so very much to be a part of our lives, not to be apart from us but to be part of us but that cannot happen unless we actively seek to remember God throughout the day.  No sacrament, not even baptism or eucharist, can bring us to God unless we choose to make space and time in our lives for God. The step doesn’t come easy but then no sacrifice does. If we strive to make God first in our daily lives, then we will discover how God has made us first in his.
 
Stewardship is a way of life designed for us to put into practice our love for God. On the surface many people think of stewardship as a gimmick the parish uses for its support. There is more to stewardship than what goes into the collection basket. I truly believe that stewardship can make a difference in a person’s life and that is what I have invited Dave to share with us today.