Stewardship Homily:
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Ben Riley

In preparing my homily for this weekend’s Mass, I had a difficult decision to make. But before I get to that decision, I’d like to share with you the events that led up to it.

As most of you know, the church has two advisory councils: the pastoral council and the finance council. The pastoral council’s main purpose is to assist me and the church staff in planning, organizing, implementing, promoting, coordinating, and reviewing all the missions, goals, and ministries of the parish. The finance council, on the other hand, primarily assists with the financial decisions of the parish, including reviewing the budget, evaluating bids and contractors, and deliberating on extraordinary financial decisions—which essentially includes anything that costs over $5,000.

Both of these councils, the pastoral and finance councils, are indispensable to the well-being of our parish community. I am so grateful to the men and women who serve on these councils and meet with me every other month to discuss how the Holy Spirit is guiding Mary, Mother of God Church to build up the Kingdom of God, teach the faith, foster greater community, and deepen the spiritual lives of our parish family. These two councils help me in innumerable ways, and I am not the least bit embarrassed to admit that sometimes I need help—especially when there are potential problems, like the one I addressed with the finance council a few months ago.

Last summer, I informed the members of the finance council and then the pastoral council that the parish is struggling to cover our monthly expenses. Before you become too concerned, I want to reassure you that our savings account is very healthy and the parish is in no immediate financial danger. However, last year I had to withdraw $20,000 from our savings account to cover monthly operating expenses. In the short term, this is not a major issue, but if our monthly expenses continue to exceed our monthly income, it could become a problem.

Which brings me to the difficult decision I had to make in writing this homily. I realize that just last week we heard a message from the bishop about the Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal (CASA), and I know it may be a little frustrating for the church to speak about financial tithing two weeks in a row. However, I made the decision to speak about our parish’s finances immediately after CASA because, if you remember, Bishop Taylor said the diocesan recommendation is to organize your annual tithing by giving 1% to CASA, 5% to the parish, and 4% to another charity—or more to your parish. Today, I want to reiterate that 5% or more to the parish.

When I brought this issue to the pastoral and finance councils, they strongly encouraged me to address it in a homily because transparency must be our first goal in the financial well-being of the parish. As I said in my homily last week, when I give to charity, I like to know how my money will be used. So I imagine you would like to know, in more detail, how your contributions support the evangelizing mission of the Church.

First and foremost, our parish keeps the corporal works of mercy at the heart of our financial planning. The corporal works of mercy are to: give drink to the thirsty, give food to the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. Our parish fulfills these works of mercy in many ways. We donate every month to our local “Share and Care,” which provides need-based assistance for water, electric, and gas bills, operates a food bank, and offers weekly meals. The parish also directly assists with a wide variety of need-based circumstances. We provide marriage preparation materials, professional therapy, and OCIA resources such as Bibles and Catechisms, all at no cost. The parish has even offered free burial plots in cases where a person has no living relatives.

Every ministry of the parish—including Bible studies, Wednesday night PREP classes for children, the youth group, Theology on Tap, pilgrimages, catechesis classes for adults, the parish picnic, and more—is either offered at no cost or is heavily subsidized by the parish.

Lastly, there are the usual costs of gas and electric bills, our annual insurance bill of $36,000, and staff salaries. I’m not sure if this is widely known, but every priest in Arkansas receives the exact same salary, regardless of how large their parish is or how many years they have been a priest—including Bishop Taylor. This helps the priests of Arkansas live out the promise of simplicity we make in our priestly vows, along with prayer, chastity, and obedience.

This simplicity of life helps us live out the call of Jesus in our Gospel today: to be fishers of men. But there is another call from Christ that we hear in our Gospel. After fishing all night long and catching nothing, Jesus calls out to Peter, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”

My brothers and sisters, the Church, in many ways, is like a ship in deep water. As faithful Catholics, we believe in biblical and moral principles that are completely contrary to what the world and greater culture tell us will make us happy. This is the great sea in which we find ourselves sailing. We trust that Christ’s Church, this great ship, is the path to salvation. Without it, we are like ships without a rudder—unable to steer toward the safety of the shore.

Our Church is an incredible blessing. So, my brothers and sisters, let us support her. Let us place our trust in her, like Peter, and cast out our nets for a catch. Of course, it’s much easier to sit back and let the current of the sea take us where it may. But that is not the mission of the Church. We are a Church in action—moving, striving, and navigating toward the shores of heaven.

And I want to be clear: supporting the Church is not just about money. Financial support is, of course, very important. Even if you can’t give much, that’s okay. But giving of your time and talent is just as important as giving of your treasure. I would argue that it’s even more important.

Have you prayerfully considered being a Eucharistic minister to the sick and homebound or here in the church? Have you prayerfully considered being a lector or teaching our youth their PREP classes as a catechist? What about joining the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Christian Women, or the music ministry? There are so many ways to get involved, and signing up does not mean you will be required to do it forever. If you have felt that God may be calling you to serve in a particular ministry, I encourage you: try it for a year and see how the Lord blesses you with graces you never expected.

You will all be receiving a letter from me in the mail. Some of you might have already received it, and if you don’t get one, that probably means the church office does not have your mailing address—so please give the office a call. In the letter, I speak about the amazing ministry our church has done over the past few years. There is also a beautiful parish brochure with pictures from many of our ministries. Additionally, there is a pledge card asking you to consider increasing your monthly contributions to the parish.

I know expenses have risen over the past few years, and the same is true for the Church. So I ask you to please make your gift sacrificial. Consider offering up a weekly meal out, a cup of coffee, or some entertainment like a weekly movie for the Church.

And lastly, but certainly not least, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. We have a very generous parish, and being your pastor—and the pastor of St. Andrew’s—has been the joy of my life. I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of this church, and I know that with your help, we will continue this journey of faith and stewardship.

May God bless you and your families.