Let Our Stewardship Convince the Cynics!

Yesterday, while listening to the Gospel about good, old, doubting Thomas, I thought about how much harder it seems for many in today’s world to believe that God is in control. This doesn’t mean we are puppets destined to simply live out a predetermined set of life experiences, but it does mean that Jesus remains, as always, King of all creation. At the end of the day, no being or circumstance can overcome the grace and power of God.

With news streaming 24/7, we now see the world with all it’s blemishes and shortcomings. Truly, we no longer live in a Garden of Eden, but instead, in an imperfect world where sin and turmoil wreak havoc every day. I truly believe there is much more good in the world than there is bad, yet the bad does sometimes seem overwhelming. We claim God is in control, that He has conquered death, and that no power on earth or beyond can stand against Him and His Church. But do we really believe that? Does the truth of Jesus’ victory at Easter really prevail in our thoughts, hopes, and dreams?

I once knew a very devout man who always said that God is in control, and this belief sometimes caused him to not act and instead, “place it in God’s hands.” I am not sure that’s what God has in mind. The reality is that God’s providence and good stewardship go hand-in-hand. God is in control and that is precisely why we must act and give of ourselves. We do not really change what is true. We give testimony to the TRUTH. This world we see on the news and around us has been redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It may not seem like it at face value, but be assured that death has no real power here. Unfortunately, it is through human sin we see this constant evidence of imperfection and evil.

But what if more of us became living saints like Blessed Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, and others have in our time? What if constantly sought to live an everyday stewardship that provided more evidence of the victory of Jesus Christ? What if we constantly and consistently stood up in the face of sin, instead of simply saying God can take care of it? God can take care of it. He has you and me. And if more of us act accordingly, it might be harder to doubt that our God lives and reigns, now and forever.