Prologue:

This is the eleventh 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 Eleven:  Jesus’ Way

The following is taken from the second 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 Jesus’ Way:

Jesus is the supreme teacher of Christian Stewardship, as He is of every other aspect of Christian Life; and in Jesus’ teaching and life self-emptying is fundamental.  His self-emptying is not sterile self-denial for its own sake; rather, in setting aside self, He is filled with the Father’s will, and He is fulfilled in just this way—“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34).

Jesus’ mission is to restore to good order the created household of God which sin has disrupted.  He not only perfectly accomplishes this task, but also, in calling disciples, empowers them to collaborate with Him in the work of redemption for themselves and behalf of others.

In describing the resulting way of life, Jesus does not waste time proposing lofty but unrealistic ideals; He tells his followers how they are expected to live.  The Beatitudes and the rest of the Sermon on the Mount prescribe the lifestyle of a Christian disciple (cf. Matthew 5:3-7:27).  Although it does not suit worldly tastes, “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God (1 Corinthians 3:19).  One does well to live in this way.  “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be a wise man who built his house on a rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

Jesus sometimes describes a disciple’s life in terms of stewardship, not because being a steward is the whole of it, but because this role sheds a certain light on it.  A steward is one to whom the owner of a household turns over responsibility for caring for the property, managing affairs, making resources yield as much as possible, and sharing the resources with others.  The position involves trust and accountability.

In the end, each will be measured by the standard of his or her individual vocation.  Each has received a different “sum”, unique mix of talents, on which the Master expects a return. (cf. Matthew 25: 14-30).  He will judge individuals according to what they have done with what they were given.

For living as stewards, what will we receive?  This is the same question raised by Peter, “We have given up everything and followed you.”  (Mark 10:28).  According to Jesus, giving up means receiving more, including more responsibility as a steward; among the consequences of living this way will be persecution; even though discipleship and stewardship set the terms of the Christian life in this world, they have their ultimate reward in another life.  (To be continued next week….)  [Top]