|
Pentecost,
conversion and stewardship
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
On the first Pentecost, the emptiness which had hounded the apostles
after the death of Jesus and his ascension into heaven was replaced by
an infusion of the Holy Spirit. Locked up in fear prior to that time,
the apostles began to speak fearlessly to all who would listen. This is
the way the Acts of the Apostles reports it: “Peter stood up with the
eleven, raised his voice and addressed them … those who accepted his
message were baptized; some 3,000 were added that day” (Acts 2:14-41).
It was a moment of conversion.
Conversions continue to this day. Conversion experiences take different
forms. One of those forms is stewardship.
A steward is a person who has been entrusted with the goods of someone
else. The steward uses those goods, but understands he/she does not own
what is used and must eventually give an account to the owner for the
way in which the goods entrusted to him/her have been cared for and made
fruitful.
Jesus talks about stewardship in the Gospel according to Matthew. He
says to the person who has been a good steward: Well done! But Jesus
calls the person who has failed to be a good steward a worthless, lazy
lout. (Matt. 25:14-30). Strong language to say the least.
Stewardship recognizes that life is God’s gift. Everything we have, and
all that we are, comes to us from God as a precious and irreplaceable
gift. The time we have been given here on earth, the skills and talents
we have developed, and all of our material possessions come to us from
God as generous gifts to be cherished, nurtured and shared with others.
A challenge of following Jesus Christ is to “let go” of any claim to
absolute ownership or control of our lives, our possessions and
destinies. Everything is placed in God’s hands. This requires faith. It
requires genuine conversion. Stewardship, in fact, is a way of life. A
profound spiritual experience, stewardship is also very practical. It
affects all aspects of one’s daily life. Once a person embraces
stewardship as a way of life, they find that life is different. Dan
Conway, a longtime friend and apostle of stewardship, points to the
ways:
• Relationships, especially among family, friends and coworkers, are
influenced by a new spirit of generosity and sharing;
• Time is “no longer wasted,” but is cherished as a gift to be used
wisely and well for the things that matter most;
• Gratitude becomes a dominant influence in our lives, teaching us to
rejoice over our many blessings and to place all our hope in God’s
provident care and abundant mercy;
• Money matters (earning, saving and spending) become means to an end,
not ends in themselves. We share generously what we have because God has
been generous to us;
• Caring for the world around us (air, water and land) and for the
communities we form (neighborhoods, cities and nations) becomes a sacred
duty, the responsibility of good stewards and good citizens;
• Providing for the Church (Eucharistic stewardship) becomes much more
than a weekly “obligation.” It becomes a privileged opportunity to give
back (with increase) the many gifts we have received from “thy bounty
through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Gratitude is a primary characteristic of the Christian steward. Saying
“thank you” is more than good manners. It’s a sign that we know who we
are and where we belong in the grand scheme of things. Saying “thank
you” keeps us centered. It helps us remember that everything we have and
everything we are has been given to us by someone who loves us. Clearly
we are responsible for developing our gifts and talents, for sharing
them with others and for returning them to God “with increase.” But
first we should acknowledge that each one of us, regardless of our
circumstances in life, has been endowed with abundant gifts and
blessings that we do not deserve and, therefore, do not “own” in any
absolute sense.
Stewardship causes a person to radically re-think life values. Christian
stewards have families, jobs and other commitments that require them to
earn a living, buy property, accumulate possessions and set aside funds
for the future. On the surface, Christian stewards appear to be no
different from the rest of society. But there is a difference.
Responsible stewards know that everything they earn, accumulate and
invest belongs first and foremost to a gracious and loving God who has
generously shared the goods of his abundant creation with them. Good
stewards know that in the final analysis they will be asked to render an
account of how they have nurtured, developed and used the many gifts
entrusted to their care.
Nourished by the Eucharist, stewardship gives a person a clear sense of
purpose. It opens the door for us to actively commit to a life of
gratitude and responsibility, to thank God for his endless gifts.
There are four aspects to Catholic stewardship: receiving the gifts of
God with gratitude; cultivating them responsibly; sharing them lovingly
in justice with others; and standing before the Lord in a spirit of
accountability.
I recently received a flier through the mail titled “Stewardship.” It
started off with this sentence: “Grace is free, but the Church needs
help.” It went on to focus on contributions to the Church. “The Church
always needs more givers than takers.”
Whoever authored the piece missed the point. Stewardship isn’t a gimmick
to get people to contribute to the Church.
Stewardship means giving. Yes. Time, talent and treasure are gifts of
God that stewardship challenges us to share with others. But stewardship
as conversion is a way of life. It is a step out of selfishness into the
bigger picture. It is the Catholic way of integrating spiritual
principles into the practice of daily living. It is rooted in a
conviction that it is not enough to just thank God. We must make a
return to God from our possessions. This, of course, has a profound
impact on how we view the works of religion and the role we are pledged
to play in those works by our baptism. |
