Weave and Sew Dust

The Big Nest JBB

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God  1Corinthians 4: 1

As I write this, I am sitting on my deck (on a glorious Carolina-kind-of-day) watching the birds take turns at my birdfeeder. Sometimes I run out of seed, but I have no doubt that God feeds them (Mt 6:26). Still, it is a joy for me to be able to provide for these little feathered creatures of God’s beauty.

Today’s second reading begs the question, “What does it mean to be a steward of God’s gifts?” According to the dictionary, to be a steward is to be one who manages, administrates, or supervises another’s property, finances… sure doesn’t sound all that exciting. Here in the Diocese of Raleigh, stewardship is spoken of as a way of life that brings a sense of personal joy and fulfillment to life.

So how does stewardship work in the Christian perspective? Our Stewardship Office explains:

1. Stewardship is a choice of the heart. We choose to make God # 1 in our love and our lives every day. This, in turn, deepens our awareness of the spiritual dimension of life, freeing us from dependency on material things—there’s a joy in that!
2. Stewardship is discipleship in action. In spiritual partnership with God, rich in prayer and grace, we choose to place in God’s service our three fundamental God-given gifts—time, talent, and treasure—there’s fulfillment!
3. Stewardship is active faith. We trust God to provide all that we need (not our wants, but our needs). Constant worry is replaced by peace of mind.
4. Stewardship accepts responsibility. We take our share of responsibility for the vitality of our faith community and our larger community in the world and this becomes our way of life.

www.dioceseofraleigh.org/how/stewardship

I have this big nest theory. If all I do is take care of my own nest without my commitment to, in some way, improve our communal “big” nest, then my own nest may very well be in jeopardy.

I think I will go get some more birdseed.--Nonna's Knowings

A Lesson from Wisdom JBB

Immense is the wisdom of the Lord     Sirach 15:18

For me, wisdom is one of the most interesting subjects to study in the Bible. First of all, depending on which testament you study, wisdom is described in either the feminine or the masculine. Then, there is the sheer quantity of adjectives that are used in Proverbs, Sirach and the Book of Wisdom to describe her. Read Chapter 7:22-30 in the Book of Wisdom if you want to get a taste. What is most compelling for me is a single statement that is in Proverbs 8:12 “I, Wisdom, dwell with experience (prudence). . .” Prudence is defined as the capacity for judging in advance the probable results of one’s actions. In the Book of Wisdom, also, we are taught that the way to wisdom is through human experience (Wisdom 8: 4-9, 18). Finally, in the New Testament, wisdom is not only found with experience; wisdom, as we see in Jesus, is willing to suffer and die, taking on the whole of human experience.

So, the question is this—How can we ever expect to find wisdom if we ourselves are not willing to share common human experiences with the poor, the imprisoned, the infirm? We will never be truly wise without face to face encounters with the least among us. Our secular world tries to tell us this is no big deal but, in fact, for those of us who are able, without the teachings of wisdom that we learn through human encounter with other, our very souls are in jeopardy (Wisdom 6: 20, Matt 5: 20).

 

To be salt and light-- JBB

You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world... Matthew 5: 13-14

I am an “okay” cook but I do understand how salt can flavor a dish and I find it interesting how little salt it takes to do so. I can readily identify with the phrase, “You are the salt of the earth,” because it is such a basic seasoning. Works of justice are “salt” in its most ancient use to preserve and prevent decay thereby insuring good health.

“You are the light of the world,” however, invokes quite a different “Who ME?” feeling. Yet, look how the US Catholic Bishops, in both Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium and Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, envision “a laity who are living witnesses to Christ: well-formed in faith, enthusiastic, capable of leadership in the Church and society, filled with compassion, and working for justice.” These are the ingredients for being a light to the world and it begins with continuing adult faith formation. Author Thomas R. Hawkins calls it, “the learning congregation,” in a book by the same name. Learning challenges our mental models of how we perceive things to be and opens us up to the possibility of seeing from God’s perspective how things could really be. Learning ignites our interior lamp.

You and I are on a mission to be salt and light to the temporal world. As the U.S. Bishops affirm, “The church and its adult faithful have a mission in and to the world   to share the message of Christ to renew and to transform the social and temporal order. This dual calling to evangelization and justice is integral to the identity of the lay faithful; all are called to it in baptism.” http://www.nccbuscc.org/education/ourhearts.htm “We need to build local communities of faith where our social teaching  is central, not fringe; where social ministry is integral, not optional; where it is the work of every believer, not just the mission of a few committed people and committees.” http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/saltandlight.shtml

Choose to accept the mission and we can get to cooking and learning in our own congregations.