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What is Stewardship?
“Follow Me,” Jesus simply but powerfully commanded of the Apostles
and they did. That call is made to us as well on this day and in
this time. How do we follow Jesus? We try to live our lives as he
did – the example of the perfect steward. Stewardship is
discipleship. It is the care and use of all that we have been
given by God and is often explained in terms of talent, treasure and
time. Why? Because communication requires that a message is sent
and received and explaining stewardship in simple terms is more
effective. Here is a way to look at these aspects of stewardship.
Talent
We are all blessed with so many talents and yet we may not know they
exist. Talents are found in your personality, your interests and in
your skills. Those who love interacting with people, love to talk
and love to be with groups have incredible talents to assist with
evangelization. Those who are skilled in trades or have professional
abilities are gifted with talents that can support not only a
church, but also charitable works throughout the community. Your
skills and knowledge can be put to curing many ills in our society.
Your use of talent for the work of God is one of the most personally
fulfilling opportunities of your lifetime. Payment in a smile, in
relief of suffering or in lending a hand to someone in desperate
need is greater than any material payment you will ever receive.
Treasure
Treasure is a gift and also a burden. We become consumed with
material goods. Yet, life can be lived very simply if we choose. It
is not wrong to enjoy many of the amazing luxuries life has to
offer. However, justice requires us to consider the needs of others
as we enjoy the gifts we have been given. To some, food and housing
has become a luxury they are unable to obtain. Our use of treasure
to support the charitable works of the church helps to bring justice
and equity to the world. Charity is not a tax. It should be given
freely because we understand and believe in the end result of our
giving of financial support to any ministry. Treasure is measured
not only in what we give to the church but also in what we provide
to other charitable efforts in our community. The biblical tithe or
10% for God’s work includes all of your charitable giving. In light
of this, many people are very generous and should feel good about
what they do.
What should you give? There is no one answer, but we should all give
according to what we have been given. Rather than gifts of equal
size, gifts should be based on equal sacrifice. For example, those
who earn minimum wage will find it difficult to provide even basic
living needs for themselves and for their family. This financial
responsibility is a priority but it may still be possible to be a
good steward in terms of time and talent. For many others, it is
very possible to make a financial gift. A gift that is truly a
sacrifice is a gift out of our need, not just our excess. Only you
and God know what is fair but one way to know when you are making
the right gift is when you stop making excuses for its size and stop
trying to rationalize why it is enough.
Time
The gift of time is just that – a gift. None of us know exactly how
much time we have been granted on this earth. In the time that we
have, we are asked to use that time effectively by continuing the
mission of Jesus Christ throughout our days. Each day has 24 hours
and consists of time at work, time at rest and time with family and
friends. We sleep about 8 hours a day on average, work about 8 hours
and therefore have 8 hours for “other things." At rest, we sleep or
at least try, so that we may regain strength for our next day. Sleep
is essential in considering the body as a temple. In addition to
sleep, doing what we can to keep our bodies healthy and strong helps
us lead productive lives on behalf of God. At work, our professions
should help develop a better world – in some way – while how we work
should better us personally in many ways. Your interaction with
colleagues, customers, employees, employers and others should be
conducted in the spirit of the second of God’s great commandments
“love thy neighbor as we love ourselves.” This includes the often
stressful drive to and from work! Our last eight ours of the day are
filled with so much at home or with friends and neighbors. Family
responsibility is so important and a major part of that is faith
formation. Both at church and at home, we are responsible for
handing on the faith to future generations. How we interact with
people in front of children teaches valuable lessons on how to live.
Our participation at Mass and in ministries prepares a roadmap for
ourselves and those with whom we have influence on how to lead a
Christ-centered life.
Time is fleeting. Make the most of yours by using all of your gifts
to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
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