Call & Response

The Call: Corner of the Table — Jessica

The Valentine flowers were wilting fast — only a few remained in decent condition. Since I cherish the gift of flowers and the thought behind the gift, I trimmed the good flowers and put them in the small crystal bud vase. Of all the vases I received as wedding gifts, this is my favorite.

Response: Good Stewardship — Cheryl

Growing up, we always somehow managed to collect the special edition glasses given away by restaurants (even though we seldom went to any of them). Most of these got put away, in one of the high cabinets. Once I grew up, with a house and kids of my own, I thought it strange that my mother seemed to cherish something so — I don’t know, pedestrian. In fact, she seemed to cherish just about everything she owned, even if she didn’t use it. No, especially if she didn’t use it. No, because it was so special, she didn’t use it. For the most part, I rebelled against holding material objects in high esteem. After all, it’s just stuff. And at my house it’s stuff that will get broken, so why worry about it?

Recently, though, I read something that has helped me see the situation from an entirely new perspective. In Being Benedictine: a Reflection on the Meaning and Significance of Benedictine Values at St. Anselm College (my alma mater) Gary Bouchard (one of my two favorite professors), writes: “In his Rule Saint Benedict would have ‘the community regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar.’ This instruction calls the monk, or all who would share in Benedictine values, to be good stewards of the resources in their care.”