Prologue:

This is the tenth in a series of articles that will be appearing in the Sunday bulletin over the next several weeks. These articles are designed to help our parishioners understand what stewardship is all about and guide our parishioners in supporting our parish through prayer, service, and sharing.

Chapter Ten:  The Call

The following is taken from the first chapter of Stewardship a Disciple’s Response, A Pastoral Letter on Stewardship. First published in 1993, the Pastoral Letter from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops addresses Stewardship in chapters entitled the Call, Jesus’ Way, Living as a Steward, Stewards of the Church, and The Christian Steward.  The following is a summary of the Call:

The Christian vocation is essentially a call to be a disciple of Jesus. Stewardship is part of discipleship. Even more to the point, however, Christians are called to be good stewards of the personal vocations they receive.  Each of us must discern, accept, and live out joyfully and generously the commitments, responsibilities and roles to which God calls him or her.  The Gospel accounts of callings to disciples teach us about the personal nature of a call from Jesus Christ—Jesus summons unique individuals and uses disciples to help mediate the Lord’s call to others.

Jesus not only calls people to him but also forms them and sends them out in his service.  Being sent on a mission is a consequence of being a disciple—announcing the good news and serving others as Jesus did.  However, Jesus does not tell people to follow him at some time in the future but here and now—at this moment, in these circumstances.  However a person can say no as the young man in Matthew’s gospel did—the young man could not let go of his possessions.  The attachment to possessions can be a barrier to the Call, for individuals and for the community of faith.

Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ leads naturally to the practice of stewardship.  These linked realities; discipleship and stewardship, then make up the fabric of a Christian life in which each day is lived in an intimate, personal relationship with the Lord.  This Christ-centered way of living has its beginning in baptism and is fortified through the other sacraments.  Union with Christ gives rise to a sense of solidarity and common cause between disciples and the Lord and also among the disciples themselves.  Being a disciple is not just something else to do, alongside many other things suitable for Christians, it is a total way of life and requires continuing conversion.

The way of discipleship is privileged beyond any other.  Jesus says: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” However, this is not an easy way.  Yet disciples have many models to imitate—the holy men and women who have gone before us in the faith and the supreme source of guidance, Jesus. [Top]