Dear Friends
First Sunday of Lent (March 1)

This past Wednesday, we began the holy season of Lent. I’ve used the past several bulletins to write about the idea of stewardship – the heart of Christian spirituality. Now that we’ve begun the Lenten season, the Church offers us rich imagery that can deepen our understanding of what it means to be a steward of the mysteries of Christ. You already know the fundamental mystery of our faith:  “We proclaim your Death, O Lord and profess your Resurrection until you come again” Notice the words I’ve highlighted -- It’s a mystery that we actually proclaim the death of Jesus. This most fundamental act of selfless offering is a mystery. Why did Jesus willingly die at the hands of corrupt politicians? Why did he do that? Certainly, he had the power to change the outcome, so why did he give up his life? And if that’s not mysterious enough, consider that Jesus did not stay dead! That’s why we profess (read: believe) in his Resurrection.  He rose from the dead precisely because he selflessly offered himself on the cross.

So, OK – how, or rather, why are we called to be stewards of these mysteries? Well, I think the answer comes right out of the first reading for Mass this weekend. And who are the “stars” of our first reading today? Yes, it’s none other than the first two humans, Adam and Eve, and how they were not good stewards of these mysteries.  
Adam and Eve had it made. No worries, no cares…No need for fashion concerns because even clothes weren’t necessary. They had a loving God who had breathed into them the very breath of life. They were given dominion over the fish of the sea, the animals of the land and every plant was made available for their culinary delights. What could go wrong? Well, God gave them one simple command: Don’t eat from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden.

Things should have been simple for Adam and Eve, shouldn’t they? They had everything they needed and only one mysterious command from the Lord God.  God trusted them to be stewards of this mystery and keep their hands off of that fruit tree! Why God commanded them not to eat from the fruit tree is anybody’s guess – even that talking snake got it wrong – but suffice to say it was part of the mystery of God’s plan for creation. Anyway, they were not good stewards and ended up losing it all. They were simply unwilling to give up their selfish interests and allow God to be God. They listened to a snake in the grass (quite literally) who put the crazy idea into their heads that the mystery of the fruit tree was only a ruse, a ploy. If they could see through the divine command, they could one-up God and become gods themselves. The lure of self-interest clouded what should have been an idyllic form of life. They didn’t want to live proclaiming the mystery of divine command, they wanted to solve it (or so they were led to believe). Ultimately, they were very poor stewards of the mystery of God. 

And now we contrast the stewardship of Adam and Eve (read: sinful humanity) with the stewardship of Jesus. Jesus obediently and willingly gave up his life as part of the mystery of the cross. Let’s not forget that Jesus raised a significant question about this mystery: “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ( Matthew 26:39)

He was willing to offer himself in obedience to the will of the Father. He was the perfect steward  (one who cares for) of our salvation. His death became sacred, special, holy because he embraced this selfless act of dying. This act of love (unlike the selfish act of deception of Adam and Eve) revealed the true inner life of God. You and I are called to be modern-day stewards of the mystery of faith. We are called to act selflessly and not selfishly. We are called to offer up that which we find difficult (read: mysterious) in light of a salvation that is yet to come. Jesus willingly offered up his life – and this form of sacrificial giving is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian and it is why stewardship is at the core of Christian spirituality. Next week – more on what it means to be a sacrificial giver!