A wise priest once told me that stewardship is much more than the “Sermon on the Amount.” Sure, tithing is certainly a part of stewardship, but only one piece. God calls us to use all our gifts and talents to glorify Him, serve others and fulfill His calling in our life. That is why He so generously gave us the gifts of time, talents and treasure. So how can we get started?
Living a life of Christian stewardship typically starts with an invitation from another good steward serving in our parish. Yes, if you are an usher, sing in the choir or volunteer in a parish ministry, you are sharing your gifts of time and talent! Think back … when you first got involved in your favorite ministry, did you go to the office and ask if you could join that ministry? Nope, I didn’t think so. Most of us were invited to participate by our priest or someone already involved in the ministry.
St. Matthew’s Gospel teaches us many lessons on stewardship through the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30.) Most importantly, this parable teaches us that God will give us what we need to do His will in our life. This parable also reminds us that we are all given different talents “… according to his ability.” Yet another lesson on stewardship is that we will be held accountable. To sum it up, it is our job to discover our talents and put them to good use making the most of them in all aspects of our life.
As good Christian stewards it is also our responsibility to invite others to join us in sharing the gifts and talents that God so generously gave us. This invitation may be all someone needs to get involved in a parish ministry. This one simple invitation could be the spark they needed to share their gifts of time and talent and fulfill God’s calling in their life. In St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we are reminded that, “For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.” Ephesians 2:10
The cycle of stewardship is not a silo; it is an interlocking gear. When we are invited to attend and participate, then we will get involved in the ministries of our parish and naturally, invest in the parish itself. So, keep the gears turning and invite someone to join your favorite ministry.
— Shannon Roh is the Executive Director of the Office of Development and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile.