Two men were marooned on an island. One man paced back and forth, worried and scared, while the other man sat back and sunned himself. The first man said to the second man, “Aren’t you afraid we are about to die.” “No,” said the second man. “I make $10,000 a week, and I tithe faithfully to my church every week. It is Stewardship Month at my church. My pastor will find me.” 

The above story is one of the stewardship jokes on the Internet. We had our Parish Stewardship Renewal Commitment weekend in November 2021. And I am trying to reach out to parishioners who are still waiting to make their parish stewardship commitment. In the meantime, the Bishop’s Annual Stewardship Appeal (BASA) is underway. You may have already received information through mail asking you to make a commitment for BASA 2022. 

Next weekend is the BASA Commitment Weekend, during which we will watch and listen to the video message from our Bishop Felipe J. Estevez. It will also give us an opportunity to make a commitment for the current year. The theme for this year’s annual appeal is “Love one another as I have loved you,’ which reminds us that we are all called to support and strengthen each other through the faithful stewardship of our time, talents, and treasures. 

The money collected through BASA is spent for the Formation of Seminarians, Support for Active and Retired clergy, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Pro-Life initiatives, Prison Ministry, Catholic Education, Evangelization, and various other pastoral ministries. 

It is vital to remember that whatever we have is owned by God, and we are only stewards of what we have. According to the Bible, God created everything, but he also owns everything. As we read in Genesis, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (1:1). “What do you have that you have not received?” asks St. Paul (1 Corinthians 4:7). The psalmist tells us, “The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord” (Psalm 24:1). 

Yes, whatever we have is given by God, and he expects us to re-gift what we have for the welfare of others, especially the poor and the down-trodden. But then the critical question is, how much should we give. There is the story of a man who was annoyed by people asking him to give money for good causes. 

One night he heard himself asking an angel who appeared to him in his dream, “How much should I give and how long should I give?” Immediately, the angel said, “Give as much as God gives you and as long as He gives you.” 

I think this is a piece of excellent advice that we should also follow. Of course, we cannot give away everything God gives us. But we can give a good portion of it. And if God continues to give us, why should we hesitate to give? When we give away a good part of what we receive from the Lord for the needs of others, we truly become good stewards. 

However, please don’t entertain the idea that you will give when you have everything in abundance. Remember the story of the widow’s mite given in the gospel. When the widow put in two copper coins into the treasury, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had” (Luke 21:1-4). 

Let us learn to give not only from our abundance but also from our poverty. It is then that we truly recognize God’s ownership of everything and our stewardship of what we have. Kindly contribute your share generously to BASA, and God will reward you for your generosity.