Episode 6: Redemptive Suffering: More Valuable Than A Gift of Money

11/02/22 • 13 min

As humans, we are blessed by God. But we also experience suffering. Can anything virtuous come from our suffering? In this episode, Father Andrew explores how offering the suffering that we experience as a gift to God can be a more valuable form of stewardship that offering tangible gifts to God's community. Christians see challenges and difficulties as an opportunity to bring good out of evil. When we are dealing with adversity, we have a heightened opportunity to expand our stewardship by committing our suffering to our own redemption as well as the redemption of others. And it keeps us more deeply connected to the suffering that Christ endured for us. We can be victims of suffering and let it conquer us, or we can accept it and present that acceptance back to God as a gift for what God has done for us.
Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life. Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He was ordained a priest in 1988.

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Episode 5: Evangelical Poverty

Are we "possessed" by our possessions? If so, we may be driven to own and acquire even more, which can separate us from God. In this episode, Father Andrew explains how practicing "evangelical poverty" can help us let go of being "owned" by our material things and trust God to provide the essentials we need. Evangelical poverty helps us adopt a mindset of being "poor in spirit," which, as Jesus said, leads to inheriting the "kingdom of heaven." Furthermore, even the poor and the poor in spirit have a need to give and should find a way to contribute to their faith community based on the sacrifice, not the amount. Evangelical poverty provides a detachment of "self" that allows us to become closer to God.
Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life. Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He was ordained a priest in 1988.

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Episode 7: Make Time, Not Find Time, For God

How does time apply to stewardship? In this episode, Father Andrew explores our understanding of time and why it is important to be in the "present moment" when we pray. He points out why "finding time" for God usually fails, and why instead we need to proactively "make time" to engage with God in service and prayer. He highlights how the Benedictine concept of "in all things God be glorified" can inspire us to incorporate prayer into nearly all of our daily lives. And he explains how periodically renewing our stewardship commitments can increase those commitments and give us opportunities to keep them compelling and fresh.
Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life. Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He was ordained a priest in 1988.