How to teach GRATITUDE in a Consumer Society

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How to teach GRATITUDE in a Consumer Society

• Presented by
• Brian Doyle
• Assoc. Dir. of Stewardship
• Archdiocese of Cincinnati

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Reflection Questions
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consumerism

• To CONSUME is to
• do away with completely,
• to take over, to use up.
• to use economic goods
• From Latin con sumere to take up, take from.
• (from Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary)
• TAKE, TAKE, TAKE!!!

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consumerism

• To RECEIVE is to
• Come into possession of
• To act as a receptacle/container
• To permit to enter
• To accept as authoritative, true, or accurate!
• ACCEPTANCE!

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Where to begin to Teach?

• Meet your kids/students where they are at
  recognize that everyday they get thousands of
  messages radio, tv, internet, i-pods,
  billboards, peers, family, clothing,the world
  is an advertisement stage. What are those
  messages? What are they saying to us???
• Teach by example
• What are my attitudes to consumerism? What is
  necessity? What is the amount of greed in my
  life? How do I act and talk about the things I
  eat, buy, use, recreate with???
• Conversion!

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Attitude of Gratitude OR (Living Gratefully)

• We are dependent creatures.
• In order to live, we MUST HAVE
• Air
• Water
• Food
• Shelter
• Sleep
• Love
• We need each other and God! Everything else is
  icing on the cake!

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Attitude of Gratitude

• All is Gift

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Receiving AND Giving

• Inseparable. I can only receive what is given.
  I can only give what I have received.
• ALL IS GIFT
• American Consumerism has led down the path of
  Take rather than receive. Leads to
  individualism, (false sense of worth and control)
  hedonism (if it feels good, do it), materialism
  (elevated importance on thingsHome Improvement,
  antiques, etc.)

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Gratitude to Stewardship

• The Transition of Gratitude to StewardshipFIAT
  leads to Discipleship.
• A conversion process
• Once I have an attitude of gratitude, I must feed
  it! HOW?
• Its what the Mass is all about!!!!!

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How to Cultivate the Attitude of Gratitude

• The Practice of Stewardship
• 1. Stewardship of Creation
• 11. Stewardship of Vocation
• 111. Stewardship of the Church (faith)
• What are my gifts? What are my talents? What is
  God calling me to? What does God want with me?
  How do I receive, cultivate, use and return the
  gifts I have received?

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Stewardship A Disciples ResponseUS Conference
of Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter on
Stewardship (1993)

• 4 characteristics of a Christian Steward
• Receives Gods gifts gratefully,
• cultivates them responsibly,
• shares them lovingly with others,
• returns them with increase to the Lord.

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What Stewardship IS

• A way of life
• A commitment to follow Jesus no matter the cost
• The realization that everything we have is a gift
  from God and that we need to treasure and enhance
  these gifts and give them back in thanksgiving
• The recognition that what we have is not ours.
  What I have is because of the grace of God.
  What I started with is a gift from God--what I
  make of my life depends on how I develop Gods
  gifts.

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IS

• Counter-culturalsuccess and achievement is not
  ultimate goalnot mine to claim if only I work
  hard enough. Counter to the Theology of
  Prosperity
• A spirituality with daily implications
• ?Daily examen What did I do today with the
  gifts God has given me to make a difference in
  the world?
• Applies to our faith, community, environment,
  human and natural resources, economic order,
  government affairs, etc.

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IS

• A

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The Call of Discipleship
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Gift of Creation

• Grateful for
• Joyful appreciation for God-given beauty and
  wonder of nature
• Gift of life
• Resources to support life
• Workdevelopment of this world through noble
  human effort. Work is the building up of the
  Kingdom of God!

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Gift of Vocation

• Grateful for the Call/of Self Discovery
• Every person has God-given talents/gifts!
• God calls each individually, by name, to a
  specific, personal vocation in life lay person,
  single, married, clergy, religious, adult,
  childeach has a vocation. This has an
  escatological significance!
• Christ calls us to be stewards of our own
  vocation, which we receive from Godthe 4
  characteristics of a Christian Steward.

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Gift of Faith

• Grateful for the Church
• Through the sacraments, we receive Gods love and
  strength for the pilgrimage.
• The EucharistWHERE WE GIVE THANKS AND RECEIVE
  THE FULLNESS OF GOD!!!
• Called to carry out the Mission of the
  Church?Proclaim the Gospel! Teach, Serve,
  Sanctify! Offering the joy and peace of our
  attitude of gratitude with others.

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?Discipleship, Discipleship, Discipleship!?

• Disciples as Stewards
• Recognize God as origin of all life, giver of
  freedom, source of all things.
• Grateful for gifts received (including gift of
  conversion, calling to membership in the church),
  and eager to use them to show our love for God
  and one another. Look to the life and teachings
  of Jesus for guidance in living as Christian
  stewards.

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HOW you as teacher are vital to stewardship
formation?

• Facilitate the students spiritual process of
  conversion by supplying a fertile environment for
  the attitude of gratitude, gift recognition,
  discernment and stewardship formation.
• Provide opportunities for students to live out
  their attitude of gratitude through gift
  reception, prayer, hospitality and service.

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THANK YOU!

• I am grateful for each and every one of you who
  give of your precious time, your God-given
  talent, and your sacrificial treasure to form our
  youth and young adults everyday. You are a
  blessing to me and to God.
• Thank you!!!

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Department of Stewardship

• Contact me!
• Brian Doyle
• Assoc. Director of Dept. of Stewardship
• bdoyle_at_catholiccincinnati.org
• 513-578-9212