Prayer for Peace

Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Cohort called the Italica, devout and God-fearing along with his whole household, who used to give alms generously to the Jewish people and pray to God constantly. One afternoon about three o’clock, he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God come in to him and say to him “Cornelius… Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial offering before God.”  —Acts 10:1-4

Prayers and Almsgiving. Both are acceptable to the Lord and because of this, Christian charities are stepping up to give everyone an opportunity to provide medical care, food and shelter, and humanitarian assistance to those in need in conflict areas in the Middle East, especially Israel. For guidance on giving to those in need in the Middle East, especially in Israel, please email our office at info@stewardshipworks.org attention “Give for Peace.”

A Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the true King of peace.
In You alone is found freedom.

Please free our world from conflict.
Bring unity to troubled nations.
Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart.

Dispel all darkness and evil.
Protect the dignity of every human life.
Replace hatred with Your love.

Give wisdom to world leaders.
Free them from selfish ambition.
Eliminate all violence and war.

Glorious Virgin Mary,
Saint Michael the Archangel,
Every angel and saint:
Please pray for peace.
Pray for unity amongst nations.
Pray for unity amongst all people.
Pray for the most vulnerable.
Pray for those suffering.
Pray for the fearful.
Pray for those most in need.
Pray for us all.

Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear our prayers.
Jesus, I trust in You! Amen.

Investing for Social Behavior

Remember the days when “investing” meant putting money into well-known assets like stocks, bonds, cash, real estate or equity shares and expecting a reasonable appreciation of capital, dividends, or interest earnings? At the Stewardship Foundation, it still is — with the additional peace of mind that your money or assets are working for the common good.

If you keep up with financial news, you may have noticed a bothersome trend…the investment world is becoming woke.

Net Zero and Carbon Neutral Concepts Net Zero Emissions Goals Weather neutral long-term strategy.

There are a growing number of investment firms encouraging their clients to “act responsibly” and this commission has even taken on its own acronym: ESG. 

E refers to environmental, S is for social, and Gstands for governance. ESG then refers to the criteria for evaluating corporate behavior when screening potential investments. What they must have in common is that they offer investments that support social, political or environmental issues.

ESG looks at the company’s environmental impact on the world, the social impact it has on populations and politics, and then the governance required to produce a social benefit. 

We can recall that after God created the world—the sky, day and night, living creatures on the land and in the sea and in the air—He said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) “Not so fast” says the woke crowd, “who says God is a man, or that a man-God created another man first? What about the women? Maybe God is a she not a he, or maybe there’s no such thing as gender … just “parts” we are born with because God chose variety. That is, if there really is a God at all!

The Stewardship Foundation firmly believes that God exists, that he created man and woman for the purpose of procreation, that in the biblical story of the Parable of Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) we are taught that to those who are entrusted much, much is expected, and if you are a steward of man (we are) we must be good stewards with our donor’s money and increase our donor’s wealth for the good of all. If we create a better world at the same time, we give all the glory to God.

In short, ESG investing is aligning your investments with a set of world values. Morally responsible investing aligns your investments on biblical principles, which The Stewardship Foundation always has and continues to do.

What Are Rights of Conscience?

At the Stewardship Foundation, our 5th Credo is: We believe… in the sanctity of human life, marriage and sexual morality, and religious freedom and the rights of conscience. There seems no better time in American history to explore these valuable rights.

Rights of Conscience are political rights that protect our ability to do what we believe is morally best. For example, a right of conscience for an individual’s health may include seeking an exemption from mandatory vaccination, or for a physician to refuse to participate in abortion or sex-change surgery.

There are three categories of political rights: (1) prohibited, (2) permitted, and (3) required. In the United States, most activities are permitted, meaning people engage in that activity if they wish. On the other hand, activities like murder or robbery are prohibited, and some activities like driving a car on the right side of the road may be required.

Night view on neon inscription of wise quotation on brick wall

As Americans, we enjoy religious freedom (to practice or not to practice), free speech, freedom to assemble, the right to own a gun, and no political authority can prevent the practice of religion. Of course, we can also choose not to practice religion — both are autonomous rights. 

Rights of conscience, however, protect a person from mandatory participation in an activity if the particular activity threatens the their fundamental values. Rights of conscience clauses are typically phrased: “No person shall be required to …” 

No doctor should be required to perform an abortion in order to keep his job, but there seems to be a storm coming on the rights of religious mental health providers seeking exemptions with respect to counseling gays and lesbians about marriage.

To learn more about the current federal laws protecting your rights of conscience, we invite you to read the 2019 statement from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.