In the Spring of 2009, the Diocese of Jefferson City began one of the most comprehensive faith formation programs in its history. Using the materials from Renew International, each parish embarked on a four-year journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church called “Why Catholic?” Mary Immaculate committed to this endeavor and by October 2009 there were 19 faith formation groups with over 140 participants signed up to start the journey.

As the parish makes the stewardship of God’s grace the central theme of all our activities, formation in the ways of stewardship will be essential. The Diocese of Jefferson City has contracted Renew International once again to provide a faith formation program that teaches the ways of stewardship. In the new year of 2022, Mary Immaculate will begin Grateful Living: The Joy of Stewardship. The program for the parish will begin January 26 with a workshop to train the small group leaders in faith sharing and prayer and familiarize them with the materials. Then the small groups will begin meeting at the end of February at the beginning of Lent, continuing for six sessions of Season One. Season Two’s six sessions will begin a year from now at the end of October. 

Before we begin to form the small groups, we have some organizational matters to take care of. On November 10, there will be an evening webinar hosted by the Diocese for the Grateful Living parish coordinating teams of  the stewardship parishes of the Diocese. That means we need to identify a core team who will work with me and the Stewardship Council in facilitating the parish’s engagement in the Grateful Living:  The Joy of Stewardship program. If you are interested in helping coordinate the program, please let me know.

October is the time we reflect on our blessings of time, talent and treasure. I have always thought that the Fall of the year is the best time for this. The harvest of corn, beans, and milo is in full swing all around us. One can’t help but recognize the tremendous bounty of God’s blessings of creation.  This awe and wonder in God’s presence moves us to gratitude as we account for the varied ways the Lord has shown his mercy to us. This is what stewardship is:   a grateful response of a Christian disciple  who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbor.

The time of harvest is a time of gathering, of sorting, of storage, and of accounting. As I have driven through the farmland of northern Missouri, I am amazed at the logistics that are required for the tremendous harvest that is taking place all around us. I am so grateful to the farmers, to the equipment providers, to the transportation professionals, and to the businesses that process the fruits of the earth. Their hard work makes it easy for me to forget just what it takes to be good stewards of the earth and provide food for the world. Our food production system is amazing, but its very success can lead to true negligence. We can neglect to be grateful for those who provide for our food and we can neglect to be good stewards of the earth and its bounty by safeguarding our common home for future generations.

We must be intentional disciples. That means we can’t go about on autopilot, doing the same things year after year without re-assessment. Without intentionality and discernment we will be inattentive to the needs of others that arise through historical contingency. Without reflection and purpose, we can take for granted the gifts God has blessed us with. Unless we count our blessings, we will forget the good God has done and we will become closed off to the surprises that God has in store for us each day. Going back to the agricultural metaphors. Farming isn’t just about harvesting. Tending the soil,  watering it, giving it fertilizer, protecting it from scourges, and above all planting good seed—all these are necessary and prior to the harvest.

That same spirit of preparation and nurturing must be part of the everyday life of the disciple. It is Jesus himself who tells us so. Remember the parable of the weeds and the wheat and many of the other parables that are set in the fields and vineyards?
Small group faith formation nurtures  the seed of the Word of God.  With the program to guide the groups’ reflection and discussion, the participants are better able to see the blessings of God, especially in those times when God’s providence is not so evident. We witness to each other God’s fidelity and learn from each other’s sorrow and sin how God’s mercy heals and renews us. We grow stronger as a community of faith because we strengthen the bonds of friendship and compassion that knit us as one.

Each year the Church places before us a sacred duty:  how are we using this time of harvest to account for the time, talent and treasure that God has blessed us with?  In the coming weeks we will be providing time and talent forms to assist you in making your yearly commitment of gratitude for God’s blessings. As you consider what you will give back to God, I ask you to begin thinking about how you might participate in the coming months in Grateful Living: The Joy of Stewardship.