2018-09-14-2018-eEdition

PAGE 4 THE CATHOLIC WEEK SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 hat comes to mind when someone says the word Stewardship? Stewardship is more than the call to tithe. It is more than sign- ing up at the parish ministry fair. It is more than the “money talk.” Christian stewardship calls us to gratefully receive God’s gifts, re- sponsibly cultivate them, lovingly and fairly share them and return them with increase to the Lord. Now, that is a mouth full. How does this align with time, talent and treasure? Time, talent and treasure are the gifts God so generously gives us. Stewardship starts with spending time in prayer, sharing talents through participation and tithing our treasure generously. This sounds simple enough, but as we all know, it is takes a lot of trust in God to achieve. When times are tough, when faced with adversity, or when everything in life is wonder- ful — who should we turn to? Trusting God in every situation is a fundamental component of Stewardship. As good stewards, we should decrease our dependence on “me” and increase our trust in God. A good Christian steward realizes things don’t always go according to our schedule. We are called to trust God always in everything we do.His plans will never fail us. The Bible reminds us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelli- gence do not rely,” Proverbs 3:5. Stewardship is trusting that our generous God will always provide for our needs. We may never obtain all that we want, but we will always have all that we need. — Shannon Roh is the Execu- tive Director of the Office of De- velopment and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile. George Weigel s this Catholic annus hori- bilis continues to unfold, perhaps some good news is in order; first, a little background. In late 1991, Italy’s Rocco Buttiglione and America’s Mi- chael Novak had an idea: cre- ate a summer seminar in which young Catholic adults with leadership potential could im- merse themselves in the social doctrine of the Church, and es- pecially the social magisterium of Pope John Paul II. Rocco and Michael recruited Father Rich- ard John Neuhaus, the Polish Dominican Maciej Zieba, and me to the faculty team, and in July 1992 we went to Liechten- stein (where Rocco then taught) for several intensive weeks of intellectual work with some 40 graduate students from Europe and North America. We repeated the experiment the following July. But after two weeks during which the resonant cowbells of some lovely Liechtensteiner bovines woke me every day at 4 a.m., as they meandered beneath my hotel window, I made a suggestion to my colleagues at evening prayer one night (First Vespers being celebrated from the Liturgy of the Hours and Second Vespers with W.L. Weller Special Re- serve): Were we to continue this initiative, we should head east, planting our flag in one of the new democracies of east central Europe. The brethren agreed; we considered the possibilities of Prague and Cracow; John Paul II made it quite clear that he favored the latter; so the “Cen- tesimus Annus Seminar on the Free Society” began meeting in Poland’s cultural and spiritual capital in July 1994 — and has met there every summer since. Renamed the “Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society” in 2000, the seminar has gradu- ated some 900 students; its 27th annual assembly this past July included young adults from the United States, Canada, Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Slovenia and Russia. When Mike Novak handed me the leadership reins in 1999, I was asked by one sponsoring donor how I measured the semi- nar’s success. My reply was probably frus- trating, but it was accurate: “Ask me in 25 years.” The seminar’s purpose was, and is, to help prepare Catholic leaders of the free and virtuous society of the 21st century; it takes time for that leadership to express itself and leadership impact is difficult to quantify. Now, my faculty colleagues and I can look back on more than a quarter-century of work that has helped form great priests and religious; parliamentarians and civil servants; journalists and academics; doctors and law- yers; successful businessmen and philanthropists; impressive mar- riages and families; and, most importantly, Catholics who live the joy of the Gospel as mis- sionary disciples in many walks of life. Over two and a half decades, TMS (the seminar’s shorthand moniker) has evolved program- matically. Intellectual immer- sion in Catholic social doctrine remains the program’s substan- tive core. But my colleagues and I have come to understand that TMS becomes a life-transforming ex- perience for many because study is embedded in an experience of Christian community (the students and faculty live, dine, and pray together) that also in- cludes rich cultural encounters and, above all, the liturgy. Our daily TMS Mass is celebrated with simplicity and reverence. We sing various ancient and modern chants, and our priest faculty provide excellent, exposi- tory preaching that helps our students see the world through biblical lenses. A lot of learning — philosophical, theological, historical, and cultural — hap- pens during TMS. What ties it all together is our shared expe- rience of the Eucharist as the source and summit of the life of faith. Our curriculum has changed over time to meet the new pres- sures on missionary discipleship in the early 21st century. Cen- tesimus Annus and Catholic social doctrine remain the semi- nar’s framework. But we now spend more time on a Catholic analysis of the sexual and biotech revolutions than we did in the early 1990s, more time on the question of what Benedict XVI called “hu- man ecology,” and more time on understanding the New Evan- gelization and what it means to live out the meaning of one’s baptism. This year’s TMS XXVII — we’re now so venerable that we date ourselves like the Super Bowl — was full of impressive young men and women who have met and embraced Jesus Christ, who have zero interest in Catholic Lite, and who want to explore everything that vibrant Catholicism means, personally and in their civic and profes- sional lives. Their eagerness to know and live the faith fully is encouraging in this time of trial and purifi- cation — and something Octo- ber’s Synod on youth ministry should take seriously. — George Weigel is Distin- guished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Wash- ington, D.C. Diving into Catholic social doctrine THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE A Trusting God a fundamental component of stewardship STEWARDSHIP IS ... Shannon Roh W Farnell 251-471-2674 www.farnellac.com We Care About Your Comfort H. R. Farnell, Jr. President HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING, INC. High Ef¿cient Natural Gas Marie Stringfellow , Marketing (251) 342-0005 • FAX 342-1145 7060 AIRPORT BLVD. • MOBILE, AL 36608 COLL ISIO N 24 HOUR WRECKER SERVICE DEADLINES for SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 Edition of The Catholic Week News copy and photos: SEPTEMBER 18, NOON Advertising Camera-ready Ads: SEPTEMBER 18, NOON “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of Him, and He will make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the LORD and turn away from evil; This will mean health for your flesh and vigor for your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth, with first fruits of all your produce; Then will your barns be filled with plenty, with new wine your vats will overflow.” – Proverbs 3:5-10