On this sixth Sunday of Easter, our readings remind us that God must come first in our lives, and that love of God shows itself in concrete actions — this is precisely why the stewardship way of life is so necessary.
 
Our second reading, from St. Peter, challenges us to,  “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” In other words, we are to put Christ first above all else in our lives. His role is not merely as Savior of our lives, as significant as that role is — He is to be “Lord” of our lives as well.  As His disciples, we are called to make Him ruler of all aspects of our lives — our time, talent, and treasure.
 
The beauty of the stewardship way of life is that it offers us a concrete means to show that Christ truly is Lord of our lives, to “prove” our love, in a manner of speaking, because true love is not a mere sentiment. “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me,” Jesus tells us in our Gospel passage from John.
 
True love is an act of the will. It requires obedience to all of God’s commandments. This requires courage, humility, and deep trust in Him.
 
But the rewards of this kind of love are indescribably wonderful. Christ tells us Himself, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
 
Could there be anything more satisfying to live in such a way that the God of the universe is pleased to reveal more and more of Himself to us?

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