Stewardship
WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP AND WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE IN MY LIFE?
Stewardship is a way of life, a practical form of spirituality. It is a conversion of heart, a disciple’s response, an expression of love, part of the Christian’s baptismal call; centered in the Eucharist. Simply put, stewardship is nothing more and nothing less than radical discipleship, the following of Christ no matter what the cost.
Stewardship is profoundly counter-cultural. It challenges us to think of ourselves as stewards rather than as consumers. A steward is one who takes care of someone else’s property. As believers, we know that this property is God’s. All our talents, the hours and days of our lifetime, and the material possessions we have come from God. Good stewards realize this. They receive God’s gifts gratefully, cherish and tend them in a responsible and accountable manner, share them in justice and love with all, and return them to God with increase.
To follow this way of life is to enter into a daily process of conversion. It is to ask each day, the question that Archbishop Thomas Murphy, the late chairman of the Bishop’s Committee on Stewardship asked himself and us: “What do I own and what owns me?”
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be . . . Much will be required of the person entrusted with much.” Luke14:32-48
This process begins with a reflection on my gifts of talent, time and treasure.
All of these gifts require prayer, thoughtfulness, and being honest with myself. It is best to look at talent first, because it gives direction to how the other two may be shared.
In order to best know how to be grateful for my talents, I must know them. One way is to answer the questions: What am I good at doing and because I am good at it, what do I enjoy? Now that I have a sense of my talents, how will I share them?
The second of these gifts is time. Good questions for reflection on this gift might be: How do I spend my time? Where do I spend my time? Does how I use my time help me and/or others have a closer relationship to the Lord and others?
The third gift is treasure. In thinking about treasure, some questions that consistently need to be asked are: Do I really need this or do I want it? Do I trust God enough to share this gift? Am I using this gift in ways that are pleasing to God? How can I better use my treasure (material goods) in the service of the Lord and my neighbor?
It is on the word of those committed to stewardship that I can say the difference that practicing stewardship will make in my life is incalculable. When I practice stewardship, I will find that my life has been changed for the better. It changes my focus from anxiety and stress to one of the peace that comes with trust, gratitude and dependence upon God.
The best way to appreciate the difference it makes in my life is to live it.
“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10
Biblical Basis
The origins of stewardship go back as far as the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. Here we see that God gives Adam the responsibility to cultivate and care for the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15).
There are many examples throughout the Hebrew Scriptures: In Chronicles we come across the reminder “For everything is from you, and we only give you what we have received from you.” “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with first fruits of all you produce; then will your barns be filled with grain, with new wine your vats will overflow.” (Proverbs 3:9) to mention just two.
The Christian Scriptures are replete with references to stewardship. Some of the most familiar are found in the parables of Jesus: the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:24-43), the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31); the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:12).
Besides the scripture passages, we also have the pre eminent example of stewardship in Jesus’ life as recorded in the gospels to aide us in our journey of conversion as disciples.
Definitions
Stewardship is:
• A way of life
• Living out Christ’s instruction to “love one another as I have loved you.”
• Caring: responsible management of our God-given resources of time, talent, and treasure
• Renewal of Christ’s Church
• A way to build happy, healthy families
• Pleasing to God
• A way of saying we belong to God
• An act of faith
• An act of trust
• An act of worship
• A conversion of heart
• A disciple’s response
• Gratitude to God for all our blessings
• Returning to God a portion of the talent, time; treasure given us