Most of us have heard of stewardship described in terms of the three “Ts”: time, talent and treasure. Time is defined as the time we spend with God in prayer. Talent is defined as our parish ministry participation and other charitable good works. Treasure is defined as being generous with our financial resources.
On the first Sunday in June, the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. As Christians, we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In my own prayer life, I have found that the more personal and detailed that I am with each of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, my relationship with each has grown more personal and fruitful. In my prayer life, I have a list of three “Ts”: thankful, trust and transformation.
To God, Our Father, I am thankful for all the gifts that He has given me — everything that I am and all that I possess. I am thankful for all the people that He has put in my life who have helped me on my path of holiness. I pray that I use all my gifts generously to help build His kingdom here on earth.
To Jesus, Our Savior, I pray that I can put all my trust in Him in all circumstances, good or bad. I pray for His guidance in helping me discern God the Father’s will for me in my life.
To the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, I pray for His help in my transformation; that all my words and deeds help me take one step closer to God; and that everything I do, I try to do for the glory of God’s name and not for my own reputation. I pray that I can see the face of Jesus in others and that I can be the face of Jesus for others.
Before I get out of bed, I pray this silent prayer every day, and depending on the circumstances at the time, I add more detail after the thankful, trust and transformation parts of the prayer. This prayer isn’t just a one-time prayer each morning. The thankful, trust and transformation format helps me keep a running conversation with God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit throughout the day. And, more importantly, it helps me listen for God’s response. For many of us, talking is the easy part. Listening and following God’s guidance is the hard part.
Through reading and experience, I’ve learned that helping to teach someone how to pray is the best gift that we can give someone. We all know someone that is feeling lonely or depressed or has fallen away from their faith. We all know someone that could use a little help in starting or growing their friendship with the Holy Trinity. Take time to help someone you know develop a more personal prayer life. By our baptism, not only are we called to be fed, but we are called to feed others.
David Baranowski is the director of stewardship education in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. He and his wife are parishioners at Mary, Mother of the Church in south St. Louis County.