| STEWARDSHIP: A Real Commitment
“Co-responsibility” is a new word. Yet, in concept, theory,
and in some specific instances, it is
as old as humankind. Within church structures,
however, shared responsibility in the work of
spreading the Good News is relatively
a new concept only recently rediscovered in our complex society.
Our
Eastern church somewhat lost its own heritage in regards to life and responsibility
within the parish. More and more proper emphasis is given to the fact that
the spiritual renewal of the church is not the priest's obligation alone but that
it is a shared responsibility which includes all church members. The laity have
this “obligation” by their commitment in CHRISTIAN INITIATION.
Our Eastern tradition is strong in its practice of co-responsibility; Vatican
Council II acknowledged this same fact and strongly recommends that priests and
lay persons collaborate in ministry. From the smallest unit of the church, to
the parish and diocese — shared ministry is once again growing and properly
so.
To truly make the parish the source of the Christian life, understanding
the concept of stewardship is essential. Stewardship is the only biblical way
of community building — it is our way of proclaiming the good news of Jesus
that we must be “good stewards of God's mysteries.” (1 Peter 4:10). WHAT
IS STEWARDSHIP
Just about everyone has some property to take care of,
whether it be a home, car, clothes, money. Caring for this property entails "responsibility"
no matter how small or great. As we manage our property, we may sometimes employ
others to assist and these others are called “stewards” or managers.
According to the dictionary: “a steward is a person put in charge of the
affairs of an estate or household, one who manages property for the owner.” If
we open our Bibles, we find that all followers of Christ are called to be stewards
for him: “People must think of us as Christ's servants, stewards entrusted
with the mysteries of God. What is expected of stewards is that each one should
be found worthy of his trust.” (1 Cor 4:1-2). Our Stewardship of
the earth goes beyond being hired servants — we are the children and people
of God. Through BAPTISM we join the Christian family and in CHRISMATION
we are given talents — the gifts of the Spirit. Thus, we care for God's world
not as hired men and women but rather as sons and daughters caring for our own
household.
To be Christian, then, entails “responsibility”
and this responsibility is twofold: spiritual and material. Our life is not a
dichotomy — it is a wholeness of being, all our work as Christians is to
fulfill work of Jesus Christ who never separated in His own ministry the “spiritual”
from the “material”. Stewardship is involvement or serving the
Church in the work of Christ; it is an obligation of love and an expression of
love. Finally, it is a call to a complete and unreserved dedication — only
when we can totally see the good in God's world — treat it as good, and develop
it for better, then we are the trustworthy stewards of God's mysteries. TIME,
TALENT, TREASURE
As we begin to apply the concept of stewardship to
our life, we see first and foremost that we are stewards of LIFE. If we analyze
this in a Christian framework, there are three major areas of concern: Time, Talent,
Treasure. Time is the gift of life on earth; the time from cradle to grave. Talent
is the gift of physical and intellectual abilities, the capacity of knowing, doing
and achieving. Treasure is the gift of material goods, and the property and money
we can accumulate from the fruits of our time and talents. Let us look at each
one in a more detailed fashion applied to our Church life. Time:
To be a good steward of time means to establish priorities to make time to pray,
Bible-reading, worship of God within our parish family, visit the sick, and share
concern with family and friends. Time must be used responsibly. Talents:
God gives each one of us potential talents when we are born, and each and everyone
is unique in God's plan. We all share different talents and we all fit into God's
world in a special way. Our talents must be furthered and deepened to assist ourselves
and others so we must use our talents wisely. If we do not use them, we may even
lose those we have. We are after all, coworkers with Christ! Treasure:
The Scriptures reveal that one day each one of us will die and we can take no
earthly possessions beyond the grave. (Lk 12:16-21; 17:22-37) Because the
church is a Body, it has physical needs and we are obliged to care for these needs
by giving of our possession, for example, our money, our property, or our time. We
give money to the church to glorify God for gifts He has given us and to acknowledge
Him as Author and Giver of all. We express thanks by giving a portion back to
God from what He has given us. Giving back to God is an act of worship. It
always remains a question for some: “how much should I give?" Our money
gifts of thanks must be acceptable, sacrificial, and in proportion to what God
gives. A few guidelines: - God is first in my life and budget. I do
not give Him “left over” — but from the top.
- Tipping is
commonplace in society. Tip God a fair tip, 15%-20% for everyone else, what about
God?
- I give all the time — not when I feel like it.
- I give
accordingly and in proportion to all that God gives me.
- Am I giving $5
when I could give $10?
Stewardship In The Parish
And Diocese
To properly function, the total vision of stewardship must
be presented. If any segment is emphasized over and above another segment, the
whole program will deteriorate in a parish or diocese. Everyone must give
no matter how small or large. We must work at making every member a fully
involved person in Church life. Parishes seem sometimes to be islands to
themselves. However, they join with other parish churches to form a larger family
— the diocese. The Bishop, the chief steward, relies on his membership
for assistance in church administration. He relies on all the talents of his flock
to strengthen the diocese. The more lay participation we have, the more we will
see the goals of stewardship learned and implemented. The diocese in turn
becomes more visible and helpful by giving funds back to parishes in the form
of scholarships, low interest loans, youth programs, adult and youth education
and direct diocesan involvement in the parish. We allow the spirit to recreate
our community and we draw upon our rich past to move forward for the present time. ©
2003 The Most Reverend Nicholas Samra, USED WITH PERMISSION | 
