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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
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A F A I T H J O U R N E Y
Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
God does not need your money. He wants your HEART. He want you to
TRUST in HIM and give your gift of treasure from your HEART.
“For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
Stewardship of treasure begins in the bible at the beginning in Genesis...
the story of Cain and Abel.
In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the soil while Abel, for his
part, brought one of the best firstlings of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not. Cain greatly resented this and was crest fallen. So the
Lord said to Cain “Why are you so resentful and crest fallen? If you do well, you can hold up your
head, but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door. His urge is toward you yet you can be his master.”
Genesis 4:3-7
The story of Cain and Abel is truly the essence of Stewardship of treasure. To give your gift of
treasure to God from your heart, with love, of the best that you can give not what is left over. (Just
an offering.)
Giving a portion of your treasure each week is an act of true love for God as well as a matter of
trust in Him. It is a test to see here your HEART truly lies. You can not out give God who not only
gave you EVERYTHING you have but also gave His only son who suffered and died on the cross
for you.
So how much of the gift of your treasure should you give back to God as a sacrifice to Him in
thanksgiving for everything He has done? The bible, both old and new testament, tell us to tithe
(give 10% of our first {earnings} fruits) and to TRUST in Him.
As we approach Christmas, the birth of our personal savior Jesus Christ let us look at the great example of Stewardship of treasure in the beginning of the New Testament at His birth. Three wise
men traveled from afar bringing great gifts of their treasure to give to the baby Jesus, God.
Let each and everyone of us take some time to think of the gift you will give Jesus on His birthday.
Then give that gift of your treasure to God from your heart. Let us be like the wise men from the
east with our gift and let us be favored by God with the gift of our first fruit like Abel.
May God Bless each and everyone of you in this most special time.
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Not Equal Giving,
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
A F A I T H J O U R N E Y
Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
We all have favorite bible stories. Even before I ever had thoughts of becoming someone who works with taxes, I loved the story of Zacchaeus (Luke Chapter 19). Maybe it
was because he was short like me. But Zacchaeus also was a tax collector. Tax collectors in Jesus’ time were considered sinners because they had the reputation for collecting more money then they were supposed to, keeping the extra for themselves. One day
Jesus was in town and Zacchaeus wanted to see him, but he was too short to see Jesus
over the crowd. He had an idea - he climbed a sycamore tree. From this tree he saw Jesus and Jesus saw him. The Lord called him down from the tree and to his salvation.
Since this was one of my favorite stories, years ago I did some further reading and it
turns out that there is a legend about Zacchaeus. It says that for years he often rose early
in the morning and left his house. Curious as to what he was up to, one morning his wife
followed him. At the town well, he filled a bucket with water and he walked until he
came to a sycamore tree. There, setting down the bucket, he cleared away the stones,
branches, and rubbish that lay around the foot of the tree.
Having done that, he poured water on the roots and stood there in silence. When his
amazed wife came out of hiding and asked what he was doing, Zacchaeus replied simply, "This is where I found Christ."
On the surface, it was just an ordinary tree, but what happened at that particular tree
made it holy for Zacchaeus. It was there that he met Christ. St. Peter’s is where we find
Jesus. It is a holy place. To express our appreciation and to enable others to find Jesus,
we, like Zacchaeus, bring our Stewardship of Treasure, an offering of love.
“How can I repay the LORD for all the good done for me?” Psalm 116: 12
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions,
Lord, I shall give to the poor , and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall
repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this
house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has
come to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:8-9
ALLOW YOUR HEART TO BE CHANGED BY CHRIST SO THAT YOU MAY EXPERIENCE THE TRUE TREASURE OF GIVING.
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
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Stewardship of Treasure
Equal sacrifice, not equal giving
Equal sacrifice, not equal giving When I read this on the Stewardship poster at Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe it really hit me hard in my heart. You see my heart was
truly hardened to the true joy of sharing my gift of treasure so I did some true soul
searching as well as searching both the new and old testament to see what God truly
asks of me. I stopped and read these two scripture verses over and over:
Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of
hosts. Yet you say, “How must we return?” Dare a man rob
God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say, “How do we rob
you?” In tithes and in offerings! You are indeed accursed, for
you, the whole nation, rob me. Bring the whole tithe into the
storehouse [the temple treasury; our church]. That there may
be food in my house, and try me in this, says the LORD of
hosts: Shall I not open for you the flood gates of heaven, to
pour down blessing upon you without measure? Malachi 3:7
He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the
crowd put money into he treasury. Many rich people put in
large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small
coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he
said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in
more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they
have contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her
poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.
Mark 12:41-44
Then I ask God in prayer to open up my heart to the TRUTH about my giving and He
did. My personal gift to Him each week as a sign of my thanksgiving to Him for ALL
He has blessed me with was equal to one nickel a week based on my earnings and the
tithe/sacrifice I was giving Him. Talk about a lesson in humility as well as a life altering
moment.
I now look at all my earnings and say to the Lord thank you for your gift of treasure here
is my personal gift back to you of my tithe what other opportunities do you have for me
to give and share more. I am now a very joyful giver/sharer of God’s finances which He
has entrusted me with.
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
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Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
This is a personal testimony from a parishioner at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in
Elizabethtown, PA.
For over 40 years as a Catholic I thought I knew what stewardship of treasure
was; it was simply putting some money, whatever I happened to have in my
pocket, in the basket at church, without ever knowing the true meaning or significance of my action. I went from my dimes as a child, to a dollar, then a couple of
dollars, a five now and again, to a ten dollar bill or even a 20 as I matured. I was
doing my duty, fulfilling my obligation; after all I watched grown men and
women of my senior rolling up or folding up dollar bills and dropping them in the
basket. My giving was more, surely I was doing right.
Wow was I wrong. I let it truly sink in what stewardship of treasure really was;
that everything I have, including my money , was ENTRUSTED to me by God
who is the owner of ALL. I merely am personally returning to Him, in the basket
at Church, my THANKSGIVING TITHE (10%) as my PERSONAL GIFT to
Him. I dropped my head, searched my soul and said to the Lord. “I am so sorry
for being blind all those years to the truth which you clearly speak of time and
time again in Holy Scripture and for being so HARD HEARTED and SELF
CENTERED”. I asked for God’s forgiveness and for the first time in my life experienced a true convergence of the heart, from self to God. It was a moment of
joy as well as a moment of freedom. My heart was opened to God to use His
money for His purpose.
Today I am a new person in Christ always being alert to the opportunity to use
His money to grow His kingdom, helping others through His church and other
outreach ministries. Stewardship was the key that opened my heart to Christ and
now I look forward each day to how I can grow as a good steward of ALL his
gifts. Thank you to the Stewardship Team of S t. Peter for introducing me to the
true meaning of stewardship. I am at peace with my life and find my greatest joys
in helping others and sharing God’s treasure.
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Not Equal Giving,
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
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Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
What does this message mean that the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart?
God does not need your money. He wants your heart, for He is the true Treasure.
Once you have truly opened up your heart to the Holy Spirit and let Him guide
you each day of your life, the sharing of God’s gift of treasure, which He has entrusted you with, becomes a great joy that has eternal rewards.
“19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and decay destroys, and thieves break in and steal. 20
But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves break in and steal.21 For where your
treasure is, there also your heart will be.” Matthew 6:19-21
Heaven is our true home, God is our true Treasure. When you truly understand
this in your heart you realize that we are mere pilgrims passing through this earth
following in the footsteps of Christ, which leads to eternal salvation.
Let each of us examine our Hearts today and say a prayer to open them up to His
spirit so that we may give back out of joy and love a portion of God’ s treasure
which we are merely caretakers of.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do I truly think of God first each week when I offer my personal gift to Him at
Church or does He get what is left over?
Do I make daily, weekly and monthly personal sacrifices so that I can respond to
the opportunities God puts in my life to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, help the
needy and grow His kingdom?
Never give from the mind out of obligation and a sense of duty, which has no
merit, always give from the heart with overwhelming joy and love.
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
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Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
Does God really teach us in the bible that tithing (giving 10%)
is important to Him?
Yes, read the word of God in Malachi 3:7
Return to me, and I will return to you says the Lord of hosts. Yet you say “How must we
return?” Dare a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me! And say “How do we rob you?” In
tithes and in offerings! You are indeed accursed, for the whole nation, rob me. Bring the
whole tithe into the storehouse (the temple treasury; our church). That there may be food in
my house and try me in this, says the Lord of hosts: Shall I not open for you the flood gates
of heaven to pour down blessing upon you without measure?
God is speaking to Israel in this section of the bible but He also is speaking to each and every one of
us about the importance of tithing (giving 10%). God is also making us a promise that if we give to
Him from the heart, our tithe, he will send many blessings upon us. He wants us to TRUST in Him
and return to Him.
When you tithe to God in His house (St. Peter Catholic Church) you are given the opportunity to put
the gift of your treasure to work for His purpose and our calling.
To build the Kingdom of God here on earth through His church by:
1. Financially supporting spreading the Word of God and the good news of salvation
through Jesus Christ in His Church as well as through Catholic missionaries’ world wide.
2. Financially supporting the education of YOUR CHRISTIAN FAMILY, the children of our fellow parishioners, through Catholic education in the Word of God.
3. Financially aiding the less fortunate of the world by feeding, clothing, and providing medical
aid to them.
4. Financially supporting all religious orders who have given their lives to God to spread the
good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
These are only four things your gift of treasure goes towards. All of which God has asked each and
every one of us to do, throughout the Bible.
Please take a moment to prayerfully reflect on your current giving. Then challenge yourself and your
family to give more. To increase your giving out of joy and love for God and all His people of this
earth.
May God bless each and every one of you.
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
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A F A I T H J O U R N E Y
Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
“For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will
be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money).”
Matthew 6:24
These two bible verses from the gospel of St. Matthew clearly are a call from God to search
our hearts, each as individuals, and test them. Do our hearts truly belong to God as our master or is God an after thought. Are we more concerned about money and the material things it
can buy allowing it to be our master?
Does your heart truly belong to God?
Ask yourself these five questions. God already knows the answers. Do you?
1. Do I think of God first each week when I give my personal gift to Him (thru His
church) of my treasure?
2. When I got a raise, a bonus or other unexpected increase in my earnings in a year, did I
share it with God?
3. Do I make sacrifices from my personal wants (not needs) each week in order to maximize my gift of my treasure to God?
4. When was the last time I challenged myself to give more to God and truly prayed for
God’s wisdom to help me?
5. Do I truly understand that the gift of my treasure each week at mass is my personal gift
to God Himself and is presented to Him, at His altar, in His church which reflects my personal sacrifice and my trust in Him?
Take a moment each week and pray to God for His guidance in this faith journey
of stewardship of treasure.
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
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Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where
thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
The movie, A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott, is a great example of this verse in the
bible from St. Matthew. Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his old business partner
Jacob Marley who has died. He appears before Scrooge with great chains around his neck
which bear the weight of the treasure chests he amassed during his life on earth that he failed
to share. Marley tells Scrooge that during his time on earth he forged each and every link in
the chains he now wears. They bear the weight of the treasure that he is doomed to wander
with through all eternity. He reveals to Scrooge that his greed, selfishness and love of money
has made his chains even longer and the weight of treasures even greater. Then he warns him
that if he does not change his heart to the needs of others in the world he is doomed to bear
them through all eternity.
Ebenezer is given a second chance in his life to change his heart. He is shown his past, present and future so that he can understand the consequences of his love of money rather than
the love of his fellow man and woman. No one mourns his death, his worldly goods are stolen and a little boy dies. It is too much for Scrooge to bear. He asks for one more chance
which he is given. He experiences what we Christians call a conversion of the heart. His
heart went from self-centered to God-centered using his treasure to help humanity.
Each of us who has not experienced a conversion of the heart and truly given our hearts to
God should say a prayer for His intervention. Ask God for a conversion of your heart so that
you may live your time here on earth for God’s will and purpose.
We, as Christians, know that the Bible teaches us that everything we do here on earth will be
accounted for in the Final Judgment (read the Last Judgment Matthew 25:31-46). So may we
each stay on our path to salvation through Jesus Christ by opening up our hearts and treasures
to the needs of the world, through His Church. Store up your treasures in heaven were they
last an eternity.
In the words of Tiny Tim: “May God bless each and every one of us.”
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
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Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
In the Gospel of St. Matthew there is a story of a young man who comes up to Jesus and
asks:
“How do I have eternal life and enter the kingdom of heaven? Jesus tells him to obey all the
commandments to which the young man responds “All these I have observed; what do I still
lack?” Jesus said to him “If you would be perfect, go and sell what you possess and give to
the poor and you will have treasures in heaven: and come, follow me.” When the young
man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his
disciples “Truly I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” Matthew 19:16-23 ~ Mark 10:17-23
Many people reading this in church today will dismiss what Jesus says because they will
think that they are not rich so He is not talking about them. Take a moment and think about
it. You know where your next meal is coming from, millions go hungry each day. You have
clothes on your back with many to spare, millions are in need. You have a roof over your
head, millions have no place to call home. You have medical help if you are in need, millions
do not.
Open up your eyes and your mind to the fact that hundreds of millions of POOR people
around the world would consider you rich beyond measure as you are not truly poor. Each
and every one of us, to differing degrees, are rich which is a blessing from God. So how are
we to understand Christ’s teaching here?
We need to give our hearts and our lives over to God and live each day thinking of Him first.
Sharing each of our gifts He has given to us freely with the less fortunate of the world
through His church. The opportunity for salvation through Jesus Christ is freely made available to each and everyone of us by the grace of God however; it takes our active participation
through our free will.
The intentions of our hearts are the measure by which our active participation will be judged
by God.
Give your hearts to God today and share the gift of your treasure with the poor of the world.
Do not put your material wants above the needs of others. Challenge yourself each week and
every year to share more of your treasure with those in need.
“Store up your treasures in heaven they last an eternity
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
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Stewardship of Treasure
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
A F A I T H J O U R N E Y
Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
“The Intention of your Gift of Treasure is the Measure by which God knows your
Heart.”
Did you give it out of love and joy to God or out of sadness and a sense of obligation? Did you share with God the gift of your treasure as abundantly as you could
have or did God merely get what was left over? Each and everyone of us needs to
search our hearts to find the answer to these questions for God is very clear with His
expectation.
Consider this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever
sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined without sadness and compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make a every grace abundant for you, so that in all things,
always having all you need; you may have abundance for every good work.
As it is written: :He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness
St. Paul’s words here in 2 Cor. 6-10 remind us again of our Lord Jesus Christ’s
promise in Luke 6:38.
“Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down,
and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you
measure will in return be measured out to you.” Luke 6:38
When you share the gift of your treasure here on earth reluctantly or out of obligation it does not please God and merits no eternal reward. Likewise when you give
only the crumbs that are leftover of your treasure expect no more than crumbs.
“If you give bread and it makes you sad to do so you lose both the bread and
the reward.” St. Augustine.
Trust in God and share the gift of your treasure with Him abundantly and with a joyous heart through His church.
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Not Equal Giving,
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The gift of treasure is a matter of the heart
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
A F A I T H J O U R N E Y
Stewardship of Treasure
“the gift of treasure is a matter of the heart”
Stewardship of treasure is not about equal sacrifice, not equal giving.
It is about equal sacrifice.
One of the greatest examples of stewardship of treasure in the New Testament is
the widow’s mite. This example of the widow’ s total TRUST IN GOD is clearly
shown by her sacrifice of her treasure to Him.
“And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money
into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came,
and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to
him, and said to them “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all
those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their
abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had her whole living. ” Mark 12:41-44
Jesus praises the honesty and generosity of the poor widow’s personal gift to God
of her treasure. She thought of God first above her worldly wants and desires.
The gift of your treasure each week is a personal gift from you to God. God
knows your wants, your needs, your struggles. He knows your heart. It does not
matter the size of the gift each week of your treasure but it does matter if it was
truly from your heart. Did you give the gift out of love, with joy, to God or out of
a sense of duty or obligation.
Open your hearts to God. Pray about tithing (giving back 10 percent) and ask
God to help you increase your giving to His Church so that we at The Cathedral
of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church may be a light to many of the true
meaning of stewardship of treasure. To help spread the good news of Jesus Christ
and in turn give back to those around the world who are in need.
May God bless each and every one of you.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe