If I asked you what you think the hardest thing that I do during Mass is, how might you respond? You might say that it is preaching. You might say that it is keeping a sense of prayerfulness when the church is sometimes noisy. You may even say that having the strength to preside at four Masses on a weekend, with a funeral or a wedding sometimes put in the mix, is the hardest. Though these can be challenging, they are not the hardest.

The hardest thing I do at Mass is come down at the reception of the gifts of bread, wine and offering, and place my stewardship envelope in the basket with yours. The difficulty isn’t letting go of the money. The hard part for me is that this action may be perceived as hypocritical. I fear some may think that I am only acting or that this is a gimmick.

 I know that there are those who believe that, for me, and others who talk about it, stewardship is about money. But it is here that I need to step back and take a “time-out” to remember why I give. When I do this, I see that God is the true reason I give. I give because my faith tells me that when I give, and I sacrifice, others receive. I believe it would be good for all of us to take a “time-out” to remember why we give to the Church.

One of the places that we can go as we to take this “time-out” is to Jesus. Jesus is our humble model of giving. In this Gospel, we see Jesus take some “time-out.” In the biblical story, it is high noon, and Jesus is on a journey; he’s hot and thirsty. He comes to Jacob’s well, where he sits down to rest for awhile. There he finds a Samaritan woman. He tells her that he is thirsty and asks that she give him a drink. As the story develops we see that Jesus is the one who gives life-giving water. Not only does he give her life-giving water, but he also looks into the heart of this woman. In this encounter with Jesus, she finds that she is not really thirsty for well water; she is thirsty for the water of eternal life. Realizing this, she leaves her water jar behind. She has found the Messiah, her life-giving water, and she goes back to her village and tells others what she has experienced.  

Jesus invites us to take some “time-out” to reflect on what it is that we really thirst for. Our need for this “time-out” is like the old man who one day heard a horse approaching his village at a great speed. Like a whirlwind, the rider and his horse galloped through the town. The old villager cried out as the rider passed, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” The man on the horse yelled back saying, “I don’t know; ask the horse. I am only riding it!” 

Many of us feel like we are on that galloping horse, quickly racing off to some unknown place. How often have we heard it said that we need to learn how to slow down and enjoy the important things in life?

At its heart, that is what stewardship is all about -- slowing down, and taking the time to reflect on Jesus and, in turn, taking time to become Jesus for each other. We begin our parishioner home visits this Sunday as a way to take some time out with each other. Jesus gave us this model of visiting as he spent time with the Samaritan woman. This is not a gimmick. This is our faith in Jesus at work. This is a way for us to stop on the race of life that we live and visit with each other. In this visit, we will learn more about one another, and we will grow to be a stronger parish family. These home visits are about connecting with the Jesus in each other. 

Each Sunday we are invited to come and reflect with Jesus at Church. We are invited to take some time-out and find the life giving water in the Eucharist that we receive. It is the Eucharist that quenches our thirst and nourishes our soul. It is the Eucharist that gives us the ability to be sacramentally transformed and then become life-giving water for each other.

 sdrose@bellsouth.net
3-10-2008