Word to the Wise
Friday, September 5, 2008 - Friday in the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Corinthians 4:1-5 and Luke 5:33-39]Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
Trust is something very real but highly intangible. When a relationship is based on "trust" and something occurs that calls that trust into question, it is very difficult to restore the trust. When someone says to us, "Trust me!" what is it that would cause us to "trust" them? Sometimes it is not the individual who inspires the trust but rather the organization or role that they play which is the cause - law enforcement officers, clergy, medical personnel, to name a few obvious examples. The "steward" of St. Paul's time would be someone who managed some asset of his Master. The Steward would not be the owner of the asset but would certainly be in charge of it and in a position to do good or bad for it. All baptized persons are "stewards" of the mysteries of God. St. Paul comes to his use of this image after reminding the Corinthians that their quarreling and factionalism are giving bad example. In short, it is not just the professional preachers who preach! Each one of us is a part of God's creation and someone whom God loves enough to become human and die on behalf of. Thus we are individual representatives of God's love. That is a very responsible stewardship, and one we believe we will be held accountable for. It can be a productive question to ask of ourselves: Am I a very trustworthy Christian? Can I be trusted to speak God's truth? What will be the honest answer? AMEN
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