Stewardship: A Great Tool In Building the City of God

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Stewardship is a word that is vastly misunderstood in Catholic culture these days. Therefore, this post will serve not only as an exposition of stewardship as a tool in transforming our Church. It will also serve as the latest installment of the "Catholic Word of the Week."

So often, people assume that stewardship applies only to their finances. Those people are wrong! (Sorry, there is no real charitable way to say that.) Stewardship ends with finances; it has its beginnings elsewhere in the lives of individual Catholics (and other Christians, I'm sure).

The International Catholic Stewardship Council is now making a concerted effort to "foster an environment in which stewardship is understood, accepted and practiced throughout the Catholic Church." There are few things that modern Catholics need to better understand than stewardship. (That they must attend Mass EVERY week, and that the Eucharist REALLY IS JESUS are two.)

So, what is stewardship, you ask? Quite simply, stewardship is the practice of taking proper care and making proper use of the gifts that God has given His people. Christians are to be good stewards of their souls and bodies, their time and talents, and...yes...their possessions and resources. However, a person cannot be a good steward only in only one area of his life; he must be a good steward over his whole existence.

My friends, let us begin to be good stewards by focusing on the ways in which we can give back to the Lord a portion of the things He has already given to us. Take time every day to pray; exercise as much as possible (guilty!); get involved in a ministry in your parish; and, just maybe, begin to write a check to the church every once in awhile. When people begin to take these simple steps, lives will begin to change!

God Bless.

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