The Kingly Office
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September 5, 2026Over the past several weeks, we have reflected on the identity and mission of the laity: who they are, where their mission is lived, and how the baptized share in Christ’s threefold mission as Priest, Prophet, and King. This week, as we conclude the series, we turn to the kingly office.
When we hear the word “king,” we may think of power or control. But Christian kingship means something very different. Christ reigns by serving. His throne is the Cross, and His authority is expressed through self-giving love. To share in His kingship means learning self-mastery, serving others, and taking responsibility for what God has entrusted to our care.
One way the Church speaks about this responsibility is stewardship. A steward does not own what has been placed in his hands; he receives it in trust and is responsible for using it well.
Our time, abilities, money, homes, families, work, influence, and even the part of creation around us are gifts entrusted to us by God. To share in Christ’s kingly mission means asking: What has God placed in my care, and how am I ordering it according to His purposes?
This Sunday’s readings speak strongly about responsibility. God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman for Israel and holds him accountable for warning the people. Saint Paul teaches that the commandments are summed up in love of neighbor. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to seek out a brother who has gone astray, and not to condemn him, but to “win over your brother.” Christian responsibility is always ordered toward love and the good of others.
This is especially important for the laity. Saint John Paul II warned against reducing the lay vocation to jobs performed inside the Church. Parish councils, ministries, and events are important forms of service, but they do not exhaust the lay vocation. The kingly mission of the laity is ordinarily exercised in the world: parents steward family life, employers the workplace, teachers the classroom, and citizens the common good. The Church teaches that lay Catholics have a particular responsibility to help order temporal affairs according to God’s will.
From the perspective of kingly stewardship, I would like to briefly summarize the state of our parish finances. Last month, the Finance Council reviewed and approved the financial report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. A brief summary appears in this bulletin, and a more detailed report is available on the parish website.
You will see that ordinary parish operations ended about $40,000 in the black. That is encouraging, but it should not be mistaken for a sustainable surplus. Much of that result came from staff vacancies, which reduced salary and benefit costs, as well as fewer completed maintenance projects. With staffing restored and normal maintenance resuming, this year’s budget anticipates a deficit of about $51,000.
The larger concern is the widening gap between relatively stable offertory and rapidly rising expenses. Utilities, insurance, health benefits, building costs, and property taxes have been increasing significantly- often 10 to 15 percent from year to year. The recent Augusta property reassessment alone is expected to increase the annual property tax on the St. Mary rectory by more than $7,000.
The Finance Council did not respond with alarm, but with a call for responsible stewardship. We need better financial information, clearer reporting, careful assessment of our buildings and deferred maintenance, continued efforts to control costs, planned giving, and a stronger culture of stewardship. The Council also noted that relatively little discretionary spending remains to be cut without eventually facing larger structural questions.
Stewardship belongs to all of us. Parish leadership has a responsibility to use your gifts carefully, transparently, and in service of mission. Parishioners also share responsibility for sustaining the mission we have inherited and hope to hand on.
As we conclude this series, I ask every household to prayerfully review its weekly offertory. If you are able, please consider increasing your regular gift. Even a modest, consistent increase across the parish would help us meet rising costs while continuing the sacramental, educational, charitable, and evangelical mission entrusted to us. This too is part of our kingly vocation: receiving what God has entrusted to us, caring for it faithfully, and placing it at the service of His Kingdom.