It is easy to get caught up in what we may think are complicated explanations of “stewardship.” Simply put, a steward is one who cares for something that belongs to another. As Catholics, we believe that all good things, all our talents, are gifts to us from God. As we take good care of any precious gift that is given or loaned to us, so too, we care for the gifts and graces provided by God.
In our “Stirring the Soul” message series, we see challenging reminders to not only be caretakers of the vineyard, but to tend and steward the vineyard in a deliberate way so as to yield an abundant increase of crops. How does this compare to our own lives?
We can reflect upon a familiar quote from Scripture to guide our prayer about our stewardship: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” (Luke 12:34) The “treasure” is what we most value in our life – and what we likely match to our time and resources. Perhaps it is our family, our education, our careers, or our faith community.
Do our priorities align with what we believe God wants for us? Have we grown our gifts of time, talent, and treasure…and benefited others?
As our own hearts respond with gratitude, or perhaps some discontent with our current priorities, let us call upon God for the grace to follow His will for us. “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10)
