AS EACH ONE HAS RECEIVED A GIFT,
USE IT TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER
AS GOOD STEWARDS OF GOD’S VARIED GRACE.
[1 PT 4:10]

Once we embrace the call to follow Jesus and imitate his way of life as followers or disciples, stewardship is not an option. Discipleship and the practice of stewardship constitute a way of life that is both privileged and challenging.

Mature disciples make a conscious, firm decision, carried out in action, to be followers of Jesus Christ no matter the cost to themselves. It is costly because it requires a disciple for Jesus’ sake to put aside the craving for domination, possession, and control.

If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them,
“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,”
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it? So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.
[Jas 2:15-17]

• Beginning in conversion, change of mind and heart, this commitment is expressed not in a single action, nor even in a number of actions over a period of time, but in an entire way of life. It means committing one’s very self to the Lord.

The Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful
and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge
of his servants to distribute [the]
food allowance at the proper time?

Blessed is that servant whom his master
on arrival finds doing so.

Truly, I say to you,
he will put him in charge
of all his property.”
[Lk 12:42-44]

• 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.

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ

and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Now it is of course required of stewards that they be
found trustworthy. [1 Cor 4:1-2]

As with all things pertaining to the Gospel, stewardship is fundamentally the work of the Spirit in our lives. When we accept our lives as sheer gifts, the Spirit can use us as instruments for spreading the Gospel. Wherever the Spirit works, there is joy. Good stewards are always the joyful bearers of the Good News of Salvation.

In Jesus’ time, the word steward referred to a specific vocation—the manager of a household, a responsible administrator of the owner’s property—not to the owner of the assets, but to the one responsible for making resources yield as much as possible, and sharing the resources with others.

Today, we refer to stewardship as the way we use our time, talent, and treasure. Jesus sometimes describes a disciple’s life in terms of stewardship [Mt 25:14-30; Lk 12:42-48], not because being a steward is the whole of it but because this role sheds a certain light on it.

We are all stewards of some possessions and influence. The question is: “What kind of stewards are we?” We start by recognizing that God invites us to be responsible for our lives and resources. We are not likely to manage well unless we acknowledge that we are managers. We are not likely to exercise good stewardship until we recognize that we are stewards — God’s stewards.

The ways we use money, time, abilities, influence, and relationships are interrelated. To bring any one aspect into a relationship with Christ will affect every other area.

Stewardship – Born in Baptism
This Christ-centered way of living has its beginning in Baptism, the sacrament of faith. As Vatican II remarks, all Christians are “bound to show forth, by the example of their lives and by the witness of their speech,” that new life of faith which begins in Baptism and is strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation [Ad Gentes 11].

The epistle to the Ephesians exhorts Christians to “live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all” [Eph 4:1-6].

Giving money for the work of the church is one very important aspect of stewardship. Christian financial giving is a responsive act. It represents gratitude. It is a symbol of self-giving. Therefore, giving is not a once-a-year event, but a regular part of life. It is a spiritual discipline that reminds us who and whose we are.

Throughout Christian history, tithing has been a helpful way for persons to express their giving. [Dt 14:22; Lv 27:30.] The roots of this rich tradition are deep within Hebrew history. Most Christians view tithing as a spiritual discipline rather than as mathematical legalism. It is a gift from God to help us put God first in our lives. Those who set their hearts upon spiritual gifts must “seek to have an abundance for building up the church” (1 Cor 14:12)

Because its individual members do collectively make up the Body of Christ, that body’s health and well-being are the responsibility of the members—the personal responsibility of each one of us. We all are stewards of the Church. Spiritual gifts are an important dimension of stewardship. As “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” [1 Cor 12:7], so stewardship in an ecclesial setting means cherishing and fostering the gifts of all, while using one’s own gifts to serve the community of faith. One gift is not more pleasing to God than another. All are a part of God’s plan.

Learning THE WAY of Stewardship

Parents have work of great importance to do in the domestic church, the home. Within the family, they must:

• teach their children the truths of the faith and pray with them
• share Christian values with them in the face of pressures to conform to the hostile values of a secularized society
• and initiate them into the practice of stewardship itself, in all its dimensions, contrary to today’s widespread consumerism and individualism

This may require adjusting the family’s own patterns of consumption and its lifestyle,

• including the use of television and other media which sometimes preach values in conflict with the mind of Christ
• above all, it requires that parents themselves be models of stewardship, especially by their selfless service to one another, to their children, and to church and community needs.

The REWARD

Historically, Christian theology has affirmed God as the ultimate owner. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” [Ps 24:1]. It is more than a cliché to affirm that “we can’t take it with us.” God calls us into responsible partnership. It is a privilege to make important decisions as we work in God’s Kingdom.

Vatican Council II points out that God’s Kingdom already is present in history, imperfect but real [Mt 10:7; Lumen Gentium 48; Gaudium et Spes 39]. To be sure, it will come to fulfillment by God’s power, on his terms, in his own good time. And yet, by their worthy deeds in this life, people also make a limited but real human contribution to building up the Kingdom. They do so with an eye to present happiness and also to the perfect fulfillment which the Kingdom— and themselves as part of it—will enjoy in the life to come.

According to the grace of God given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,
and another is building upon it.

But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,
for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there,
namely, Jesus Christ.

If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,
the work of each will come to light,
for the Day will disclose it.

It will be revealed with fire,
and the fire [itself] will test
the quality of each one’s work.
[1 Cor 3:10-13]

[Source: USCCB - Stewardship – A Disciple’s Response]