What is Stewardship?
Engaged people in our community of faith believe that God owns it all and that we are simply stewards of everything we have. We willingly give of our Time, Talent and Treasure back to God. If we have an "attitude of gratitude" to God for all that he has so generously and abundantly blessed us with, then how can we not give back to God a portion of our first fruits?
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In Matthew's Gospel, he writes, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." (Mt. 6:19-21)
Stewardship of Time
How many hours do you get in a day? How many hours does Pope Francis get? How about the president? Each of us receives 24 hours per day. Regardless of who we are or what we do, God gifts us with 24 hours. How do you spend your day? Do you give back to God the best time of your day? Do you spend time in prayer with God every day? The gift of TIME is the most precious gift that God gives us, the very gift of life. Invest the time God has blessed us with by making sure to give back to the ultimate Giver through our prayer, conversation and reflection.
Stewardship of Talent
Our call to Stewardship encourages us to share our GIFTEDNESS. Our special talents and abilities, things that we feel passionate about, things that might be used to describe our personalities, such as being compassionate, hospitable, organized, having patience or wisdom are all part of our unique giftedness. Our gifts are given to be used in service to our families, for those around us, for those in need and for our many ministries within the Church.
Stewardship of Treasure
Stewardship is not just about Time or Talent. It also includes our Treasure, our financial sharing to the Church and other charities. In reality, God does not need our money. The true need is that we, as disciples of Christ, have a need to give. We have a deep need to give of ourselves back to a loving God. And so we do this in our prayer (Time), our gifts of service (Talent) and our financial resources (Treasure).