Love is Patient and Kind

Love is patient and kind.
St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 13:8

Happy Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time!

This week we have the pleasure of reading and listening to St. Paul’s great ode to love. I’ve often been puzzled by the meaning of love. The Greeks, I’m told, had five words for it. In my own reflections, I’ve seen it present in generosity, presence, persistence and many other qualities. St. Paul seems to have a similar problem in that he spends a lot of time talking about how to recognize its absence! When jealousy, pomposity, inflated ego, rudeness, self-centeredness, quick-temper, brooding over an injury received, and rejoicing when others get their comeuppance exist, love is not there. All of these things require a hardness of heart. Prayer, on the other hand, requires a soft heart opening to God, and there is love.

So what does that have to do with stewardship? Often stewards can get overly involved, which can lead to just about all the negative signs listed by St. Paul. Again, I’ve often stressed the importance of generosity in the Christian life but even that can lead to an inflated ego and pomposity (Oh, what a good boy/girl I am!). On the other hand, we can use our professional or even our family lives to withhold participation in the broader community. Finding balance is a difficult task, indeed. Let us pray about it.

If you haven’t made a pledge for this year, it’s not too late! Please go online to st-therese.cc, click on Give on the banner, and then choose “Stewardship of Treasure Commitment Form.” You may also start making your recurring giving by clicking on “Give Now”.

If you have any questions, please email me at jvrussell85@gmail.com or Diane Figaro at paa@sttherese.cc or Nicole St. Hilaire at nicoles@st-therese.cc. This websitehas a wealth of information about how you could help!