First Week of Advent, First Post

Click here to see the readings for the first Sunday of Advent: http://www.usccb.org/nab/113008.shtml

Praying:

Jesus commands us to watch for his coming. He uses the analogy of a man who travels and leaves the care of his house to his servants. The servants do not own the house. They are stewards, caretakers of the house that has been entrusted to them by the master. It is the expectation of the master that all will be well when he returns from his travels. In ancient times you could not give an exact time for your arrival due to the uncertainty of travel, so the servants would not know exactly when the master would return. Yet, they knew that if they did a good job at watching the household they would be rewarded, and if they did a poor job at managing the house then they would be punished.

In the same way, God has entrusted to us the care of his household. At creation God entrusted the earth to our care. What is more, we are created in God’s image and likeness, which means that our bodies are temples of God. God dwells within us and so we are a house of God. We must care for the whole created order as stewards, and we must take care of ourselves as a house entrusted by God to our care. These things do not belong to us; they are entrusted to us so that when God asks for it back we may return them to him in better condition than the original.

All powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming and call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Opening prayer for the first Sunday of Advent)

Believing:

Steward – In biblical times, the overseer responsible for planning and administering the household. Theologically, a designation for those who manage the resources God has given, in the world and in the church (cf. 1 Cor. 4: 1-2; Titus 1: 7; 1 Peter 4: 10).

Stewardship – The responsibility given to humans in creation for managing the resources of the earth (Gen. 1: 26). In the church, Christian stewardship involves the whole of life since all life comes from God and is to be lived for God’s glory.
(Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, p. 269-270)

“Life in the Holy Spirit fulfills the vocation of man. This life is made up of divine charity and human solidarity. It is graciously offered as salvation.” (CCC #1699)

“The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God; it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude. It is essential to a human being freely to direct oneself to this fulfillment. By his deliberate actions, the human person does, or does not, conform to the good promised by God and attested by moral conscience. Human beings make their own contribution to their interior growth; they make their whole sentient and spiritual lives into means of this growth. With the help of grace they grow in virtue, avoid sin, and if they sin they entrust themselves as did the prodigal son to the mercy of our Father in heaven. In this way they attain to the perfection of charity.” (CCC #1700)

Living:

I asked God to take away my pride, but God said, “No. It is not for me to take away but for you to give up.
I asked God to take care of the hungry and the homeless. But God said, “No. That’s your job.”
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. But God said, “No. Her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.”
I asked God to grant me patience. But God said, “No. Patience is the result of tribulation; it isn’t granted, it’s earned.”
I asked God to give me happiness. But God said, “No. I bless you with many good things; happiness is up to you.”
I asked God to spare me pain. But God said, “No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.”
I asked God to make my spirit grow. And God said, “No. You must grow on your own.”
I asked God if he loved me. And God said, “Yes, of course. Why did I create you? Why did I give my own Son to die for you? Only because I love you.”
So I asked God to help me love others as much as he loves me. And God said, “Finally, you’ve got the idea.”


What lessons does the liturgy from the first Sunday of Advent provide in terms of social justice?
How can we apply what we know about steward and stewardship into concrete action for social justice?
What ideas came to you for specific action from the Catechism quotes?