STEWARDSHIP“The gift you have received…give as a gift”
One of the greatest joys people have is selecting a gift for someone they love. The excitement builds as the person opens the gift and shows in word or action appreciation of the time and effort spent in selecting that gift. One of the most disappointing moments is when the gift is not appreciated but put away in a closet or drawer for another time.
Stewardship is the response we are asked to make to the gifts we have received from God. All of us have been given various talents or gifts...each of us receives twenty-four brand new hours each day and each of us is able to support our families by using our time and talent. As we acknowledge that all we have is a gift from God, we are asked to give back some of our time, talent and financial resources to help continue the work of Christ in the world.
Until recently, stewardship is a word that hasn’t been part of our Catholic vocabulary. Basically, much of our faith has been seen as a private, personal relationship with God. People chose to become involved in church work or to give in the weekly collection generally based on their own good will or some sense of obligation to the Church.
Why the change?
Stewardship has many references in the New Testament. Jesus speaks of the “good steward”, the one who cares for the household when the master is away. It also speaks of a relationship to God and to our world that is more accurate in terms of our dependence on God for everything.
Stewardship comes from the concept that all we are and have comes from God, who has gifted us with talents and abilities, through which we are able to relate to others, earn a living and inter-act in our daily life. Just as in life, we show our appreciation for gifts that we receive by using them and sharing them, God asks us to use the talents that have been given us, not just for ourselves but in service of others and the Church, whose mission it is to proclaim God’s reign in the world.
This attitude requires a change of heart and mind, as we recognize that all we have is a gift coming not through our own efforts but because God has gifted us. We are so used to believing that we have earned anything we have. It requires a new way of thinking to acknowledge that all is gift.
God, through stewardship, asks us to give back to others; to share some of what we have been given, our time, talent and treasure. One of my favorite quotes regarding Stewardship is,
“Stewardship is everything you do after you say you believe.”
It is interesting to write down how we spend our time. We all have twenty-four hours, yet often we hear that we have no time. God asks us to give some of our time to our religious life...to be connected with our community at Mass each Sunday, to be with our families, our friends but also to share with those in need. Think for a minute of some adult other than a family member that influenced you as you were growing up. Perhaps you were in a Religious Education Class with a neighbor, or a CYO team, or a youth group or Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop. Those adults gave their time for your benefit. What are the gifts that you have been given that you could share with the youth of today? If you don’t feel called to help youth, could you work with the elderly or families who are in need?
As we think of our talents or gifts, is there something that you are able to do that you could share with other parishioners? Sometimes we think of specific things as “Church work” but really there are endless possibilities. Most of all, we need your ideas to help create a parish that can foster an attitude of care and concern. You and I have to take the places of people who influenced our lives as children and young adults.
Financial assistance is also important but not the only part of stewardship. While we don’t like to think about the basic expenses as important, they are necessary for the upkeep of the church. The many ministries and especially the parish outreach program need your financial support. Hopefully by pooling resources, St. Rose and the other charities you give to can do more for people than each one of us could do on our own.
There is a parable that Jesus told about three servants whom all received gifts, the first servant received one, another received five, and the last received ten. The only one that was rebuked by the master was the one who buried the gift he was given.
As we reflect on stewardship in St. Rose, let us ask Jesus to help us to see where we can use our gifts and then ask for the grace to do it. As the telephone company said for its own purposes:
“Reach out and touch somebody’s hand, make this world a better place if you can.”
The church and our world is depending on us. Please consider how stewardship can become a way of life for you.
--Sister Louise Cullen |