Stewardship

Often times when we hear the word “Stewardship” we associate it with money. Stewardship is more than money. It is more than the concept of giving of our time, talents and financial resources. Stewardship is a Way of Life. It is recognizing that ALL we have is a gift from God, and because we are SO grateful for what we have received, we freely share those gifts with others.

Stewardship is an expression of discipleship, with the power to change how we understand and live out our lives. Disciples who practice stewardship recognize God as the origin of life, the giver of freedom, the source of all they have and are and will be. They are deeply aware of the truth that “The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it” (Ps 24:1). They know themselves to be recipients and caretakers of God’s many gifts. They are grateful for what they have received and eager to cultivate their gifts out of love for God and one another.

Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ leads naturally to the practice of stewardship. These linked realities, discipleship and stewardship, then make up the fabric of a Christian life in which each day is lived in an intimate, personal relationship with the Lord.

One who receives God’s gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord.

Following Jesus is the work of a lifetime. At every step forward, one is challenged to go further in accepting and loving God’s will. Stewardship plays an important role in the lives of people who seek to follow Christ. Christians must be stewards of their personal vocations.

Catholics have a duty, too, to be stewards of their church: that community of disciples, that Body of Christ, of which they, individually and together, are the members, and in which “if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy” (1Cor 12:26).