Jesus says: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the Shema Prayer, the most famous prayer in the Jewish faith, and the equivalent of the Our Father in the Catholic Church. Then He goes further: “The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

November is the Month of the Holy Souls and also Thanksgiving and Giving. It is really an excellent time to reconsider these two “greatest commandments” as they relate to three major aspects of the Christian steward’s daily life — the generous giving of our time, our talent and our treasure. The use of our time refers primarily to our relationship with the Lord — in other words, our prayer life. Since time is a gift to me from God, I show my love for Him and my gratitude for this gift by giving Him the best portion of my time.

It is vital to talk to God throughout the day, but if I really want to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, then shouldn’t I make time for God “first” on my agenda each day? I mean not as an afterthought, but as quality time that I have intentionally chosen to spend only with Him.

The use of talents is the way we offer the skills, talents and interests the Lord has given me for the good of those around me. This is a practical way to ‘love my neighbor as myself.’ At the same time, it is also a way to love the Lord with all that I am and that I have, since He has told us that whatever we do for others we are also doing for Him. The use of the material gifts that God gives us – we can call them our treasures – also shows both love of God and of our neighbor.

So when I make a sacrificial gift to God through the offertory collection, I am showing Him in a very tangible way that I trust God and that He comes before all else in my life and I am putting my material resources at the service of my neighbor in the parish community and beyond. When we follow this divine command to love, when we live for God and others, then we are truly on the path to eternal life, getting closer to the Kingdom of God.

By living the stewardship way of life, we are doing what Christ tells us, and we are like the wise scribe in the Gospel, getting much, much closer to our ultimate Heavenly destination.

All Saints’ Day

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Tue, Oct 31: Vigil Mass at 6:00pm

Wed, Nov 1: Masses at 7:00 & 8:30am, 12:00pm and 6:00pm

All Souls’ Day

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Thu, Nov 2 Masses at 7:00am

And at 6:00pm we will celebrate our Special Evening Memorial Mass

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Fr. Kilian, Fr. Williams, our Deacons, and all of our Parish Staff and Volunteers

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