Inspired Christian Stewardship: Making choices in life that glorify God through word, deed

The tabernacle is seen at Holy Family Chapel at St. Martha Parish in Kingwood. (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)This year’s cycle of readings at weekend Masses primarily focuses on the writings of St. Luke the Evangelist, and stewardship is a major theme of his. In St. Luke’s Gospel, Jesus teaches His followers about stewardship through several parables, including the foolish farmer, the unjust steward, the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Parable of the Prodigal Son and the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus shares stories of ordinary people who make critical decisions about their lives, thus revealing their relationship with God and their neighbors.

What emerges from St. Luke’s writings is a sophisticated theology of stewardship that is fundamental to his Gospel and not addressed so profoundly by other New Testament writers. St. Luke defines the duty and role of a steward as a unique sort of servant who is entrusted with possessions by a master, takes charge of them and is required to use them prudently. The steward is called upon to take care of his master’s property and wealth until the master summons him to turn in an account of his stewardship. Jesus helps His followers understand that every disciple is a steward and that good stewardship is their responsibility.  

One unique feature in St. Luke’s writings is the concept of almsgiving, based on his theology of stewardship. Almsgiving was a radical teaching in the first-century Greco-Roman world. It was considered an obligation of Christian disciples; imperative inside and outside the Christian community. St. Luke enjoined his readers to look upon the poor and downtrodden with genuine sympathy and urged those with material resources to remember their identity as stewards, to be generous and to distribute a portion of their wealth to the poor as alms.  

The Catholic bishops of the U.S. stressed the importance of the Biblical teachings on stewardship in their 1993 pastoral letter “Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response” and assigned the task of promoting their pastoral letter on stewardship to the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC). ICSC continues to provide formation, training and resources to Catholic dioceses and parishes in the U.S. and beyond under the auspices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It uses the bishops’ pastoral letter as its primary resource for promoting stewardship in the Catholic tradition. 

Through ICSC’s programs, Catholic leaders come to understand that stewardship is not simply an appeal for funds but a Gospel-inspired expression of how we live our lives in response to the call of Jesus Christ. The late pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, commended ICSC for its global missionary vision and for spreading the good news through the lens of stewardship, a new way, he maintained, to think about evangelizing in a world much in need of God’s healing presence.  

This year, ICSC hosts its 63rd annual stewardship conference in Chicago, Illinois, from Sept. 21 to 24 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The event’s theme, “Stewardship: A Journey of Hope,” resonates with this Jubilee Year of Hope, which urges Catholics to rekindle their hope in Christ and experience anew the delight of encountering the Lord. The ICSC conference offers parish leaders and diocesan officers an opportunity to gather and reflect on stewardship in the Catholic Church and to continue to prepare for its transformational future.  

Having preserved a number of Jesus’ teachings on stewardship in his writings, St. Luke suggests that stewardship ultimately comes down to the personal decisions an individual makes each and every day. Are those decisions meant to glorify God? Or are the decisions made for some other purpose? As the bishops’ pastoral letter points out, by making choices that glorify God, the faithful draw closer to Him and discover the best in themselves. That is the essence of Christian stewardship.  

For more information about the Catholic bishops’ pastoral letter on stewardship, or about ICSC and its upcoming conference, go to www.catholicstewardship.org. 
 
Michael Murphy is the executive director of the International Catholic Stewardship Council.