Treasure important in stewardship

DEACON JIM STOKES | SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC

In his encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” (”God is Love”), our Holy Father reminds us of the story of St. Lawrence, a deacon of the early church. Upon the capture and imprisonment of Pope Sixtus II in the year 258, St. Lawrence was ordered by the Roman governor to bring him all the treasures of the Church. St. Lawrence, being a good deacon, gathered all of the poor, the sick, the lame and those in need, and assembled them in the city square. St. Lawrence then explained to the governor that these were the treasures of the Church.

While this did not amuse the government officials of that day any more than such insolence would amuse our government today, the message of St. Lawrence was heard loud and clear. Christ’s Church on earth remains the guardian of the poor, the hungry, the marginalized and the unborn. These are the treasures of the Church. Because, however, we live in a monetary-based society, the only way that we can preserve and protect these treasures is to support the mission of the Church with actual money.

While these are difficult economic times for everybody, the fact remains that the Church’s mission - and by that, we are talking about caring for the poor, as well as administering the sacraments, educating our children in the faith, protecting the sanctity of life, and otherwise fulfilling the mandate of Christ himself when he commissioned the Apostles to spread the good news to all nations - can only be accomplished if we, as faithful Catholics, dig a little deeper and continue to give a small part of our wealth to the Church.

We are all aware that our weekly paycheck does not go as far as it once did, especially considering increases in gasoline, utilities, insurance and groceries. However, we must remember that these expenses have likewise increased for our parishes, our hospitals, our orphanages and our soup kitchens. If the generosity of the faithful does not continue, expenses cannot be covered and the mission of Christ will be hampered. So as we make choices on where our personal budgets get reduced, please look carefully at your charitable giving and remember that, come judgment day, the Father will say, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt. 25:40).

Deacon Stokes serves at St. Joseph Parish in Palm Bay.