In our first reading, St. Paul describes himself as receiving "the stewardship of God's grace" – a gift given not for himself, but "for your benefit." Paul recognizes the fundamental truth that God's gifts are always given for the good of others.
Like the servant in Jesus's parable who is entrusted with distributing food to the household, Paul understood that his role was to faithfully share what he had received with others.
This is one of the great principals of the Christian Stewardship to which we are all called: the more we receive, the more responsibility we bear to share it. “Everything is interconnected” as Pope Francis has written: our spiritual gifts, our material resources, our relationship with creation itself. We are stewards not just of material goods, but of "God's varied grace" as St. Paul puts it. And what we do with these gifts effects everything else.
Jesus's parable warns us about two dangerous attitudes toward stewardship. The first is failing to be diligent. The faithful steward is praised because the master returns and finds the steward diligently fulfilling his duties. We are to be diligent in our stewardship of our time, talent, and treasure. Now of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t rest from our labors when we need to. Rest is good stewardship when it allows us to become recharged for the work that needs to be done. But rest can easily devolve into sloth if we are not careful and prudent and disciplined.
The second and more serious danger is actively abusing our stewardship – like the servant who begins to mistreat others and squander resources when he thinks the master is delayed. This servant forgets the fundamental truth that everything we have is a gift meant for service.
God has blessed each of us, physically, financially, intellectually, and spiritually. But we have been entrusted with these gifts not simply for our own well-being or our own earthly success, but for the good of others and the building up of the Church.
In essence, Christian Stewardship is a fundamental aspect of Christian identity, it is the way of discipleship, a way of participating in God's work, a means of personal sanctification, a form of preparation for eternal life.
But again, "At the evening of life, we shall be judged” on how we used the time, talent, treasure, and grace entrusted to us. So may we be lavish in our charity, diligent in our service, disciplined in our habits, and prudent with the time we have been given for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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For the Church, that all her members may be good stewards of the Gospel, sharing the faith with courage and jo. Let us pray to the Lord...
For our spiritual and temporal leaders, that they may exercise their authority with wisdom and justice, always remembering that their power is a sacred trust for service.
For the grace of prudence and discipline in our lives, that we may avoid both sloth and overwork, finding the right balance between activity and rest in service to God, we pray to the Lord...
For those who are struggling with poverty or mental illness, for the sick, suffering, homebound, victims of war, and those who will die today, that they may receive the material, emotional, and spiritual assistance they need. Let us pray to the Lord.
For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom, that they may enjoy the eternal reward promised to the Lord’s faithful servants. Let us pray to the Lord.
Heavenly Father, all good gifts come from you. help us to be faithful stewards of your grace, diligent in service, prudent in judgment, and generous in charity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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