September 29, 2024

Dear Friends in Christ,

Autumn Blessings to all. I love the Fall season when the leaves change colors and the temperatures cool a bit to create “Sweater weather.” It’s traditionally the harvest season for crops and various kinds of produce. It’s also the time of the year when Christians reflect on their lives as stewards of God’s grace.

The spirituality of stewardship is a powerful way to order one’s life. It reminds us that everything that we have, our time, talent, and treasure, indeed our very lives, are a gift from God and ultimately belong to God. They are given to us on loan and are meant to be given back to God through our decision to commit a significant portion of our time, talent, and treasure in gratitude for our many blessings and as an act of faith in God’s continued providence in our lives. 

The people of St. Bridget’s know that this is the time I tell the story of Elizabeth and Walter every year. They were a married couple I knew when I was the pastor of St. George Parish on Beacon Hill from 1992-98. Walter was in poor health and didn’t make it to Sunday Mass very often. Elizabeth never missed a Sunday and would come wearing a lovely dress arrayed with flowers and a large hat you couldn’t help but notice when she walked into the church. She had been raised a Southern Baptist and kept the habit of voicing her response to the homily she heard. If Elizabeth liked it, you would hear a resounding “AMEN!” If it did not particularly impress her, she would let out with a barely audible “amen.” I always knew where I stood with Elizabeth.

I came to learn that Walter and Elizabeth lived on a fixed income of $987.00 a month. I was surprised to discover that their monthly offering to the church was $98.70, exactly 10% of their income. One Sunday after Mass, as I was locking up the church, I came upon Elizabeth helping herself to some of the canned food in our bin used for folks to donate items to the local food bank. She turned red with embarrassment and explained their monthly check was still two days away, and they had no money for food. I quickly told her to take all the food she wanted. I also suggested she and Walter cut their monthly tithe to the church. I will never forget her response. “Oh, Father, God has been so good to us; we have to show our thanks by giving what we can off the top of our income.”

Walter and Elizabeth are in heaven now. I think of them every year as I reflect on God’s grace in my life and decide what gift to give back to show my gratitude and continued trust in God’s providence. I invite you to do the same as we begin our stewardship season.

Fr. William Heric

Assumption | St. Bridget | St. Catherine of Siena | Our Lady of the Lake