Stewardship
“Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these
varied graces of God, put it at the service of others.” (1 Peter 4:10)
varied graces of God, put it at the service of others.” (1 Peter 4:10)
What is catholic Stewardship?
Stewardship is a spirituality — a way of life — which calls for our response by:
The Gifts of God
Think of God’s gifts in broader terms, beyond simply the material goods or security we may enjoy. Consider the preciousness of the following gifts:
Stewardship involves a far more radical challenge than the sharing of our resources with the church. There is no doubt that it is important to ask people to live a life of stewardship which is prayerful, planned, proportionate and sacrificial” (Archbishop Thomas Murphy)
What this means in practice is that we have to recognize the gifts that God has given to us, then consciously make a decision to return a proportion of them with an increase.
The gifts may be grouped in three sections:
In terms of time, how do you use your time, for yourself, your family, and your God? How much time do you give to the needs of your family? What proportion of your day is given to God in prayer? What sacrifice do you make of ‘your’ time so that others may benefit?
In terms of talent, in what way has God blessed you with skills and abilities. Do you use these talents to help other people? When there is an appeal for the sharing of talents at church, do you respond?
In terms of treasure, do you think of your income as a gift from God? Are you well off compared to others around you. Do you use your treasure wisely, or wastefully? What proportion of your treasure do you give as an offering to the church?
Once you begin to ask these questions, there will be the opportunity to respond. The sharing of your time, talent and treasure can be enjoyable and even beneficial to your own health.
The starting point is to use a little of your time to look at how God has blessed you with talents, and then to make a decision how much of your time and which of your talents you would be willing to give back to God along with a portion of your treasure.
Stewardship is a spirituality — a way of life — which calls for our response by:
- Receiving the gifts of God with gratitude
- Cultivating them responsibly
- Sharing them generously in justice with others
- Returning the gifts with increase to God
The Gifts of God
Think of God’s gifts in broader terms, beyond simply the material goods or security we may enjoy. Consider the preciousness of the following gifts:
- Our faith, hope and love
- Our family and loving relationships
- Our intelligence and skills
- Our imagination and vision
- Our world in all its beauty.
Stewardship involves a far more radical challenge than the sharing of our resources with the church. There is no doubt that it is important to ask people to live a life of stewardship which is prayerful, planned, proportionate and sacrificial” (Archbishop Thomas Murphy)
What this means in practice is that we have to recognize the gifts that God has given to us, then consciously make a decision to return a proportion of them with an increase.
The gifts may be grouped in three sections:
- Time
- Talent
- Treasure
In terms of time, how do you use your time, for yourself, your family, and your God? How much time do you give to the needs of your family? What proportion of your day is given to God in prayer? What sacrifice do you make of ‘your’ time so that others may benefit?
In terms of talent, in what way has God blessed you with skills and abilities. Do you use these talents to help other people? When there is an appeal for the sharing of talents at church, do you respond?
In terms of treasure, do you think of your income as a gift from God? Are you well off compared to others around you. Do you use your treasure wisely, or wastefully? What proportion of your treasure do you give as an offering to the church?
Once you begin to ask these questions, there will be the opportunity to respond. The sharing of your time, talent and treasure can be enjoyable and even beneficial to your own health.
The starting point is to use a little of your time to look at how God has blessed you with talents, and then to make a decision how much of your time and which of your talents you would be willing to give back to God along with a portion of your treasure.