On Christian Stewardship VI

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is the sixth meditation from Fr. Stanley Harakas on Christian Stewardship:

Give, trusting that God will multiply (II COR. 9:10). Among the practices which some of the excellent, contemporary, charitable organizations, such as the International Orthodox Christian Charities, follow is giving to build greater self-sufficiency, "getting the destitute on their feet." The Apostle speaks of Godly giving as having its source in God Who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food. There are some needs, however, brought about by overwhelming events such as drought, famine, and war, which require us to supply basic seed and food, knowing and trusting that God will "increase the fruits of [our] righteousness."

The first part of this commentary connects stewardship as giving with trust that God brings the giving to fruition. We do a small part, and God through his grace multiplies the small measure of our giving. As the Parable of the Sower puts it, "And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold" (MK. 4:8). An ethical implication of this affirmation is that the Christian steward cannot assess his or her giving in a prideful manner. God gave the resources to begin with; our giving is only proportionate to what we have been given and it bears fruit not because of us but because of what others do with it, most of all, God. So givings should be a humbling experience, not a prideful one. Thus, the source of any righteousness that comes from giving is the grace of God; our righteousness is always contingent and always short of purity an fullness. Part of the increase is its association with the giving of others. The parish as an agent for the use of stewardship contributions, as well as church and other philanthropic organizations, do, indeed, multiply the effects of individual stewardship. Thus, stewardship is a corporate act, not individualistic.

Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship V

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is the fifth meditation on Christian stewardship from Fr. Stanley Harakas. Once again, remember that he is building off of St. Paul in II COR. 9:6-11. Struggling with hesitancy or anxiety is difficult, but the meditation below offers some real insight into the "bigger picture" which can inform that struggle and our ultimate decisions to be stewards of God's abundant giving to us.

Give from the abundance received from God (II COR. 9:8). The Apostle promises to hearts that are united to God: "you always [will have] all sufficiency" (v. 8). Hesitation to give freely, which is driven by the desire to "guarantee" one's own needs, is tempered by knowing God's abounding grace. Even those of very simple means, but who truly know the Lord, understand that they have a real measure of "abundance for every good work." (v. 8)

The ethical aspect of this confidence in the abundance of God's giving is evident, pointing to the core Christian sense of dependency of the Christian on God for all of his or her needs. The words of the Lord's Prayer are a constant reminder of this reality: "Give us this day our daily bread" (MT. 6:11). Ethically, the confidence that God will provide for each of us is liberating. As Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist put it, praying "that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life." (LK. 1:74-75). Confidence in the "abundance of the Lord" in store for us in this life and in the next does not lead to a disregard for material needs, but to an inner peace that the Provident God cares for us. And in that confidence stewardship giving carries with it no anxiety or hesitancy. It is part of the genuine freedom, or eleutheria, of the Christian's life.

Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship IV

Dear Parish Faithful,

This is the fourth of Fr. Stanley Harakas' meditations on Christian stewardship. I found this one particularly effective as he speaks eloquently about "cheerful giving." Of note is how Fr. Harakas equates giving in return to God as a way of discovering our humanity.

Give from joy (II COR. 9:7), or "Give merrily." The key word is "merry" or "joyous," in the original "hilarion." One invariably gives happily from a consciousness awash in the glad tidings that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (II COR. 5:19). To know the Lord removes all reluctance and constraint for he is the great treasure and ample food. Note how St. Paul changed Proverbs 22:9, from "God 'blesses' ... to "God" 'loves' a cheerful giver."

"Note, also, the imperative, or normative "ought" language. What is normally not thought of as something that can be willed and made to occur - joy - is nevertheless commanded. How can this be? Ethically, the opposite of giving joyfully is to give with reluctant sadness. Giving becomes an unpleasant duty, fulfilled because somehow the stewardship giver is psychologically, morally, or spiritually coerced into giving. Clearly for the Christian such giving "ought not" to be associated with stewardship. Giving to the church "ought" rather to be perceived as a privilege and an opportunity to express one's faith in the loving and blessing God, and therefore an ethical act. Cheerful giving implies that the giver is happy and eager and fully willing to be a part of the effort to do the work of the Lord in the church. Genuine stewardship giving is fulfilling and satisfying and so produces a sense of well-being and emotional and spiritual fitness. Authentic stewardship giving is rewarding in its wholesomeness. To give as God gives is to become more human, more of what God has created human beings to be. To be an unconstrained and authentic steward is to incorporate giving into wholeness of the Christian life growing toward God-likeness."

Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship III

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is the third of seven meditations on Christian stewardship - the sharing of time, talent and treasure - from Fr. Stanley Harakas (based on II COR. 9:6-11):

Give from the heart. Of course the Apostle is speaking of the heart that is submitted to the Lord. A heart which belongs to the Lord neither grudges nor feels compulsion to give, but shares in the manner in which the Lord gives, "pressed down ... and running over." (Lk. 6:38)

"The ethical dimension is also evident in this passage that expands and gives content to the affirmation that inner dispositions form the important ethical aspect of stewardship. In Orthodox spiritual thought, the heart is central to the Christian life.* The heart that is in union with God "neither grudges nor feels compulsion to give," precisely because it has reached the level of true freedom to be itself. Orthodox ethics distinguishes between "free choice" or "self-determination (Gk. autoexousion) on the one hand and the condition of eleutheria, or true freedom, which is when there are no conflicting inner impulses toward action. The goal is for Christians to act in God-like ways, not conflicted by temptations, insecurities, and mental reservations. Such stewardship behavior is free and outpouring and "shares in the manner in which the Lord gives." In all likelihood, such a high standard in the practice of stewardship is rarely achieved, but the ethical "ought" pointing to such unconstrained and unreserved motives remains valid and a sought after goal."

* Kallistos Ware defines the heart, in part, as follows: "HEART (kardia): not simply the physical organ but the spiritual centre of man's being, man as made in the image of God, his deepest and truest self, or the inner shrine, to be entered only through sacrifice and death, in which the mystery of the union between the divine and the human is consummated."

Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship II

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is the second of Fr. Stanley Harakas' seven meditations on the stewardship of our time, talent and treasure:

Give with blessings (vs. 6). Most English translations contrast "sparingly" with "bountifully" or "generously" in the opening verse. In the original St. Paul used the plural of the word "blessing" in contrast to "stingy." Hence, "one who sows stingily" differs utterly from "one who sows with blessings." For one like the Apostle, formed in the Hebraic mind, to speak of blessings always implies God, for, as the Psalmist says, "Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, Who alone doeth wonders" (Ps. 71:19). Only God is blessed, and all "blessings" flow from Him. The Apostle's point is that our giving always is in the context of the giving of the Giver of life.

"This dimension is made particular and more specific with the discussion about giving with blessings. In the first instance, the very form of the passage is ethical, in the sense that it is normative. It instructs how the Christian ought to give: "Give with blessings." The author, on the basis of the Hebraic understanding of things, accents what was affirmed several times earlier in this chapter, that the goods we enjoy - and from which we give - are ours only be derivation: "Only God is blessed, and all 'blessings' flow from Him." It is an affirmation of the fundamental Orthodox Christian ethical insight, that the source of all good is God. Since God is the "giver of Life," all other values and goods that are in the sphere of human choice and decision making arre derivative."

Fr. Steven