Posted on

3 Simple Tips for Stewardship

Click here for daily readings

Today’s readings are all about stewardship. I know, I know, it’s a big buzzword in the Church. It can mean anything from giving 10% of you money to the Church all the way to serving the poor. But thankfully Jesus teaches us what proper stewardship is.

My fiance and I recently had a meeting with our spiritual director about stewardship. During the conversation I felt a little awkward because I realized that I was not doing enough and that we had not talked about this enough for our future marriage.

But as the conversation went on I was encouraged with some practical examples that I would like to share:

 

Put aside a special fund every month. This is where you will pull your tithing from, but it is also a fund you will use whenever you want to treat friends to a nice dinner, help the homeless man on the corner, or go out of your way to buy a gift for someone. This ensures that stewardship is not just money going to the Church, but to others as well.

 

Realize that the call to give is a God given calling and our hearts are restless until we truly give. Whether it’s money, service, action, or the classic time, talent, treasure, every time we give we are participating intimately in the divinity of God. Gaudium et Spes even goes so far as to say that, “We can never fully find ourselves except through a sincere gift of self.” This is because God himself is an eternal gift, and because we are made in His image, we are not fully alive until we truly give. This is what makes stewardship about more than just finances, but about the whole person.

 

Figure out the amount of gift that stretches you. Part of stewardship is humbling ourselves before God and realizing that all we have is because of Him. Stewardship should make us a little uncomfortable in the sense that it pulls us out of ourselves and makes us rely on God. Think of the bible story of the woman with a few small coins. She gave all she had and trusted in the Lord’s providence. Now, obviously we have to be prudent, but the more we stretch and give, the happier we ultimately become and the more we rely on Our Father.

 

The first reading speaks of love conquering all and of the need to give to others. Then the Gospel tells us what happens when we become selfish and use our means to exploit or take advantage. Let’s take a hint from Jesus today and try to commit to one practical way we will live out stewardship this week. From all of us here at Diocesan, God Bless!

Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.

Posted on

Happy Feast of the Visitation

Click here for daily readings

Today we receive the blueprint for Marian devotion from the Gospel of Luke. Happy Feast of the Visitation from all of us here at Diocesan!

Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.

Posted on

A Light to the World

Click here for daily readings

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”

Today is a big day. Not only is it Mothers day, but it is also the Ascension of our Lord into heaven. On a more personal note, it is the one year anniversary of asking Nathalie to marry me, a day that we dedicated to Mary.

I think it’s perfect that all of these events fall on the same day. When I think of mother’s day, I naturally think of my spiritual mother, Mary. The Gospel today speaks about going into the world and proclaiming the good news to every creature. Mary was the perfect model of this. She proclaimed to the world that Jesus was the Savior they had been waiting for. She was given a sign by the archangel Gabriel, and that sign became so real for Mary that she conceived and that sign became a person. A person who would save us from our sins.

In the Catholic Church, we call this phenomenon (when a sign is so real that it becomes what it signifies) an efficacious sign. This is what all the sacraments are. They are signs that are so real they become what they signify. (Ex. Bread and wine literally become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.)

Think of it this way. A stop sign is just a piece of metal with some paint. But it has the power to stop a car. It is a sign that is so strong that it effects a change.

This is why I think it is perfect that the Ascension, Mothers Day, and my one year anniversary with Nathalie all line up. There are no two people who I have ever met who show the love, strength, gentleness, power, beauty, grace, and generosity of Mary better than my Mom and my bride to be. They are such real signs to the world of the love of God, that they do not just preach the good news, they live it. It becomes part of them, real, tangible.

When I think of all the problems in our world having to do with marriage, families, and friendships, I am so thankful to have a Mom who has loved me unconditionally through everything. I can honestly say my best qualities are due to the fact that my Mom cares and has taught me so well.

When I think of all the problems with relationships, I am so thankful that I have found someone in Nathalie who compliments me perfectly. Someone who loves me no matter what. Someone who truly realizes the gift of her femininity and how much I need that as a man. Someone who serves tirelessly and gives of herself like I have never seen.

I am thankful to have people in my life who have taught me the good news through their real example. Sometimes it is hard to find these people in our lives because of the brokenness of the world, but no matter what our mother Mary can help us see the love that her Son has for us.

So please join me today in thanking Mary, who brought us the Savior, as well as all mothers. Thank you mothers! Thank you for being a much needed sign to the world of the beauty of God and the good news. Happy Mothers day, happy day of the Ascension, and Nathalie, Happy Anniversary!

Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.

Posted on

Universal Communion

Click here for daily readings

One of the greatest privileges of working on a team is the knowledge and gifts of every person and the unending opportunity to learn new things and improve in my own gifts. One of the things I love most about my job is traveling to various parishes across the country and learning how much effort is put into communication and evangelization. There is a certain strength in numbers, a certainty that my weaknesses may be another person’s strengths and that they can take the torch on a certain task.

Realizing one’s own strengths and weaknesses is important. For me, it is sometimes hard to admit these weaknesses, even though I know they exist. I know that when I do admit them and ask for help I not only realize my reliance on God, but I also realize the tremendous gift of those God has put in my life.

Thoughts of the importance of coming together united in a common goal were running through my mind when I read today’s readings. Here we see the early Church starting to form. Put yourself in these readings for just a second. Imagine you were in the time of the early Christians. Jesus has just risen and there is an excitement in the air to proclaim that good news. But there is also fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of division.

It’s no secret that there is a lot of division in our world today. Even amongst Catholics, we seem to be splitting between liberal and conservative, traditional and non-traditional, American and universal. Shouts of “I only like this certain Pope” or “This certain group in the Church is just plain weird” tend to take over the landscape of Catholic discussion.

Sometimes I think we forget that the word “Catholic” literally means universal. It means that no matter what, we are all one family. We are all a part of the body of Christ and at the end of the day we all have the same mission, to love God completely, to get to heaven, and bring as many people with us as possible. This is what we know of as the Communion of Saints. Eventually in heaven we will experience this perfect communion with God and each other, where there is no more division.

This scene from Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorite examples of the communion of saints. For those who haven’t seen the film, the character Groot can only say a few words throughout the entire movie. He says, I am Groot, over and over again. In the final scene of the film, Groot sacrifices himself for the ones he loves and they all unite in a special way. Finally, the last words we hear from Groot are, “We are Groot.” The perfect example of communion and sacrifice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=217&v=1vSm6HN16aw

The communion of saints is not necessarily an experience that is exclusive to heaven. Today’s readings are a calling to all of us to come together here and now as the universal Church and support and love each other, especially through difficulty and fear. When we admit our own weaknesses, allow others to use their strengths, support and love each other, and put aside our various differences, we will start to live what it truly means to be Catholic. May God help us all to see the gift of others and how that gift can bring us closer to God.

Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.