Stewardship season continues at St. Margaret of Scotland this weekend as we hear the parish financial report from members of our Finance Council. As you read in our annual Stewardship report, and as you will hear this weekend, the parish is in sound financial shape. We have no debt, we are able to pay our bills and assessments on time, and we have savings in the St. Louis Archdiocesan fund. As the result of the Increased Offertory program conducted last fall, our Sunday collections were up 7% over last year. All this is good news, but we must remain vigilant, especially since capital repairs and improvements are constant with our aging facilities. I humbly ask each of you to consider your giving to parish and increase it as you are able. Please remember the parish when you receive a bonus or an income tax refund. Remember the parish in your will and financial planning. I am very grateful to all who financially support our parish week after week!

Thanks to all who came to our Stewardship Fair last weekend, and to the many ministries and parish organizations that were present. With your continued and increased participation and presence, our parish ministries will remain vital and vibrant in the years to come. If you signed up or showed an interest in a ministry, expect to hear from them soon!

As we continue to focus on Stewardship, here are some thoughts from the Stewardship Office of the Archdiocese of St. Louis for your own reflection and prayer:   

Stewardship season is a great time to think about our own path to holiness:

• Pray – keep a list of things that you are grateful for. Thank God as soon as these things occur during the day. Soon, you will find yourself praying all day long! Thanking God for all the gifts we receive is one of the best and easiest ways to get your prayer life started.
• Participate – the Holy Spirit has given each of us a unique set of gifts called charisms. These charisms can only be used for good and are meant to help build God’s kingdom on earth. Discover your charisms and live the life that God intended for you.
• Give – reflect on all the blessings God has given you. How is God calling you to use your gifts to help others? Generosity is our natural response in gratitude for all that we have been given. In gratitude, we are called to give from our “first fruits.” We are called to give our first and our best with all of our gifts, and especially the one that means the most to us. 

This is also a great time to time to think about the greatest gift of all – the Holy Eucharist.  At Mass, at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest says:

• “Though Him” – every good thing we have comes from God. We are God’s children. When we see others as his children, we become more Christ-centered. When baptized, we become members of the Body of Christ. When confirmed, we strengthen our participation in Christ’s mission. Our response should be a joyful, “Here I am Lord!”
• “With Him” – when we receive the Eucharist, we join Jesus in His passion, death and resurrection. The night before He died, Jesus alone and afraid, prayed that God’s will be done. Through Holy Communion, we unite ourselves with Jesus to do God’s will. Our “Amen” means that we place our trust in God, in spite of our fear.
• “In Him” – every day is a gift. Our lives are a gift. What are you doing with your gifts? Who are you becoming? Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice. It is the fruit of an encounter with a person – Jesus Christ. In the Bible, people who meet Jesus are changed. The same is true for us today. We can be transformed by our relationship with Jesus. How is Jesus calling you?