Corpus Christi Blog

Christian Stewardship - Time

09-15-2019Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold

Greetings! As a new member of the Pastoral Council, Father Chad asked me to lend him a helping hand by writing a series of articles on Christian Stewardship.

Over the last several weeks (and years!), Father Chad has been working hard to help form us into intentional disciples. Both in his homilies and in his bulletin articles, he has explained our parish mission statement and what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Included within the many characteristics of being a disciple that Father has already laid out for us is the quality of Christian Stewardship which is composed of the three pillars of Time, Talent, and Treasure. When we, as disciples, are being good stewards of these three things, we give God our first fruits to build up His Kingdom and the Body of Christ through which He then blesses us abundantly in return. Today, we will take a closer look at how we are to be good stewards of our time to serve God and in the coming weeks we’ll examine the other two.

How often have you said, or heard it said, “I don’t have time.”? As a mother of five children, this statement rolls off the tongue quite easily for me. This statement is arguably truer today than in any other day or age. With all our far-reaching obligations and distractions, we often feel stretched thin and short on available time for anything outside of what we must do. However, when we are acting as intentional disciples and are good stewards of our time, we shift our focus from what we must do in the worldly sense, to what we ought to do with our time in service to our Lord and our fellow members of the Body of Christ.

There are numerous passages in Scripture that refer to giving God our first fruits, but this one strikes to the heart of how He rewards us when we do: “Seek first the Kingdom of God…all the rest will be added...” (Matthew 6:33). When we give God the first fruits of our time, He has a miraculous way of multiplying it so that we have time for everything else, too. When you do things like commit to a weekly Holy Hour in Adoration, come to daily Mass whenever possible, commit to daily personal prayer (including a rosary or a meditation on a daily Scripture reading), you will find that you don’t have less time to accomplish all of your tasks for the day. When we entrust our time to God, things usually work out better and are more enjoyable. Yes, you may have to make a few sacrifices along the way, but that is exactly what is required in giving God your first fruits. For example, I have to set my morning alarm an hour earlier than I would like to so that I can pray my rosary and other chaplets before my children wake up. If I don’t get it done first thing in the morning, it won’t get done. Then, as a family, we spend time in prayer together every morning — beginning with everyone stating what they are thankful for — because our mornings are the only time that we are all together in the same place. So, in order to be good disciples, we must work to set aside time every day to foster a relationship with Jesus Christ, regardless of the busyness of our everyday secular lives. He will make time for the rest.

While setting aside time for God every day is important, it’s not enough if we are striving to be intentional disciples. We must also devote our time to building up the Body of Christ. How we use our time, both good and bad, affects His entire Body as we are all interconnected members. As disciples, we are charged by Jesus Himself to serve others and to use our time to help the suffering members of His Body, which honors and glorifies the One who gave us the gift of our time in the first place.

There are many ways in which we can be good stewards of our time that are appropriate according to our state, season in life, and other various circumstances. First and foremost, we must be good stewards of our time within our immediate family. We are witnesses of Christ to those who are immediately near to us and if we are busy serving others to the detriment of those closest to us, we are not being the disciples we are called to be. Feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and tending to the sick, should all start with those nearest to us. Whether you’re a young parent, an empty nester, single, or have aging parents, you likely have an immediate community that depends on you to use your time wisely and to not squander it. Be present; seek to serve those close to you. Be Christ to them!

Corpus Christi Catholic Church has its own specific mission within the Church to do its part to build the Kingdom on earth. Our parish is responsible for making Jesus and the Truth of our Faith accessible to our immediate community here in Ahwatukee and the Phoenix area overall. Therefore, it is essential that members of our parish devote time to helping our parish pursue that mission. Many of our parish activities and ministries are only possible because of the countless hours that our parishioners give in service so that Corpus Christi can be successful in her local mission. While we have so many wonderful parishioners who devote their time to the inner workings of our parish, they are comprised of only a small percentage of our entire parish family. In other words, only a small percentage of people do the vast majority of the work that it takes to make our parish run. This point is not meant to disparage anyone, because certainly everyone’s circumstances are unique and different, but it is meant to highlight how much we can do for Jesus and His Body by devoting a little time. Can you imagine the impact Corpus Christi could have if every single parishioner devoted one more hour a week in some capacity to furthering her mission?! Since God Himself wants nothing more than to see His Kingdom grow, certainly He would multiply everyone’s time for such a commitment.

Finally, we need to be good stewards of our time in service to our broader communities. These communities extend outside of our neighborhoods and parish as far out as our broader world. Jesus told His disciples to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19) so the mission of discipleship is intended to branch out as far as humanly possible. As intentional disciples, we must use the gift of time to reach as many of the suffering members of Christ’s Body as we can. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the obligation Christians have to heed the call to charity, quoting Lumen Gentium: “…the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ’s gift, so that…doing the will of the Father in everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor,” (CCC #2014). It is absolutely impossible for us to do the will of the Father in everything and to serve our neighbor, without devoting a proper amount of time to doing so. Charity requires time.

For a number of years, Corpus Christi has held an annual ministry fair at which parishioners could explore ways to get involved within the parish. This year, in an effort to share some of the ways in which everyone can help bring the Body of Christ to the broader community, Father Chad is hosting a “Beyond the Parish Expo” on November 16th & 17th. This expo will enable parishioners to explore other ways they might be able to use the gift of their time to glorify God and serve our neighbors. Before the expo, make sure to take some time to ask God to reveal to you how you might become a better steward of your time to be a better disciple for His great mission. He always comes through! Stay tuned for more information on the “Beyond the Parish Expo” as well as next week’s bulletin article on being an effective Christian Steward of your talent!

BACK TO LIST