Episode 8: Giving God The First and Best

12/02/22 • 13 min

What it the quality of the gifts we should give to God? In this episode, Father Andrew explains how our gifts should be "holy." That means we set aside the first 10% of what we have received and give it to God honestly and charitably. And our gifts should be "precious." Thus they should be the best of what we have to offer. This is in thanksgiving for what God has done for us. Father Andrew notes that tithing is modeled in the Bible. 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel inherited land. The 12th tribe, the Levites, provided the priests to the community, and they were supported by the tithes of the other tribes. The Levites, in turn, took one tenth of their goods and tithed those to the poor. These were the "first and best" of livestock or the harvest. This "tithe of tithes" practice is continued by Catholic parishes today which deliver one tenth of their donations to other charities.
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.

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Episode 9: Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread

How do we trust that God will give us what we really need? In this episode, Father Andrew examines the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer, where we ask God to give us, every day, our daily bread. He explains how this "bread" we ask for is in fact all the sustenance we need, including the Holy Eucharist. He explains how we participate in God's plan to give everyone their daily bread when we give our tithes, and those tithes become the daily bread of others. And he responds to this frequent question about the stewardship of treasure: "How much, and when, should I give 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.