Jesus showed us how to be good stewards by his actions

"I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 14:34).
Love is the foundation of all acts of stewardship. Jesus showed us how to be good stewards by His actions. He fed the poor, visited the imprisoned, healed the sick and so much more. Jesus taught us how to love by living the seven Corporal Works of Mercy. We are called to imitate these charitable actions in our lives. 
For 94 years, the faithful of the Archdiocese of Mobile have come together to show love for our neighbors in need by giving generously to the annual Catholic Charities Appeal. This appeal was started in 1931 during the Great Depression to serve the poor in our communities. Today, Alabama is the seventh poorest state in the nation. The Archdiocese of Mobile’s annual Catholic Charities Appeal continues to fund 30 ministries in the southern half of Alabama that serve our neighbors in need. 
The ministries funded by the Appeal are imitating the love of Jesus and exemplifying the Corporal Works of Mercy. If we are not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned or showing our love in service to others, then we should be giving to the Catholic Charities Appeal so our ministries can. 
Jesus spoke clearly about love, so much so that He declared love the greatest of all commandments. St. Matthew and St. Mark recount Jesus’ response when asked by a scribe what is the greatest commandment. St. Matthew writes, “He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39).  St. Mark in 12:29-31, has a similar recounting.
The call to love is not a suggestion, but a commandment. In St. John’s gospel, Jesus went on to say, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 14: 35). 
The seven Corporal Works of Mercy: feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; shelter the homeless; visit the sick; visit the prisoners; bury the dead; give alms to the poor. 
­­— Shannon Roh is the Executive Director of the Office of Development and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile.