Stewards of the Gift of God's Presence

One of the most consistent themes in the writing of Pope Benedict XVI is the absolute importance of keeping our focus on God. Whether he is writing about worship, church teaching, social justice, or principles of Catholic theology, the Holy Father always makes certain that God is the center of our attention. Here are a few things our new pope has said about God:

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• God speaks quietly. But He gives us all kinds of signs. If I remain alert, then slowly I begin to feel how God is guiding me.
• A powerless God is a contradiction in terms. If He cannot act and cannot speak and be spoken to, He cannot be "God" as we understand this term.
• In many ways, God wants to prod us into taking things a bit more lightly, to see the funny side of things, to get down off our pedestals and not forget our sense of fun.
• God is far too great for one idea or a single book to comprehend. Only in many experiences, even contradictory experiences, can He give us reflections of Himself.
• God's glory and peace on earth are inseparable. When God is excluded, there is a breakdown of peace in the world. Peace can never last on earth if God becomes meaningless to people.
• One thing is clear: Without God things cannot go well.

On the one hand, it seems obvious. As people of faith, we know that God comes first. We are called to love Him with all our minds and hearts and strength. On the other hand, as sinful people living in an increasingly Godless world, we all too often forget about God, who seems absent or at least distant from our daily lives. According to Pope Benedict XVI, "The true problem of our times is the 'Crisis of God,' the absence of God disguised by an empty religiosity." Evangelization is speaking about God - proclaiming the glad tidings that "God is alive" and that we can meet Him face-to-face in the person of Jesus Christ (in communion with our all our sisters and brothers in the one family of God, the Church). "God exists. God is alive. God is present and acts in the world, in our - my - life. God is the most present and decisive reality in each and every act of my life, in each and every moment of history." This is not a tepid or lukewarm faith. This is faith on fire. This is faith that is consumed by the presence and the power of God in every moment of our daily lives - and in every social, political, and economic issue of our time. Do we bring this kind of faith to the challenges of daily living? To the difficulties of marriage and family life? To the problems of poverty, homelessness, and inadequate healthcare here in Indiana and throughout the nation? To the serious global problems of terrorism, the AIDS epidemic, hunger and war? One thing is clear (the pope reminds us): Without God things cannot go well. Without God my life cannot go well - or my family, or my parish, or my community, or my country or the family of nations worldwide. The absence of God from our individual lives and from our communities (including our experience of Church) results in the most abject form of spiritual poverty. As Pope Benedict teaches, "The deepest poverty is not material poverty but spiritual poverty: the inability to be joyful, the conviction that life is absurd and contradictory. In different forms, this poverty is widespread today, both in the materially rich and in the impoverished nations." To fill the void, the pope says, we must turn back to God. For some of us, this may mean "taking things a bit more lightly, not forgetting our sense of fun." For others, it may mean a radical rejection of the ways of the world and a return to the God who loves us - no matter what. For most of us, it means fervent prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments, a simpler style of life and a willingness to reach out to others (in Jesus' name) to share our faith and lend a helping hand. It's true that without God things cannot go well. But the good news is that "God is with us!" He is alive and active in each of our lives and in every human heart throughout the world. The best way to remember this good news - and not become victims of our own spiritual poverty - is by sharing our faith with others. As stewards of all God's gifts, we are called to nurture and share God's most precious gift: the gift of His presence among us. We recognize this wonderful gift, and we cherish it, in faith. And we grow this gift, and give it back to God with increase, through sharing our faith with others (evangelization). May the Lord make us faithful stewards of his presence! ##- About the Author:
Dan Conway joined the staff of RSI Catholic Service Group following 20 years of experience helping Catholic organizations in the areas of strategic planning, communications, stewardship education, and development. Mr. Conway is a prolific author, with many dozens of articles and three books published. He is a sought after lecturer, and travels the world observing and documenting Catholic Church events. For more information about Dan Conway and RSI Cathlic, click below: http://dx.doi.org/10.2121/RSI-(stewardship-viscern)-article.4

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This story was made available to Catholic Online by permission of The Georgia Bulletin(www.georgiabulletin.org), official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Ga.