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Stewardship: "It is in giving that we receive"

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28 September 2009 - 2:53pm — joyce

 

These words from St. Francis’ peace prayer remind us of the benefits of generous giving. It might be interpreted to say, “when we give, a space is open in our hearts to receive.”
 
Jesus gives many parables about stewards. A steward is one who is entrusted with responsibility, to care for something that is not their own. We have been entrusted with the gifts of creation, to care for it as God’s gift. This makes us stewards of creation, to care for it, make it fruitful, and to find sustenance from it. We are also stewards of the Church, God’s family, a family that gives us sustenance. As members of a family, even God’s family, we have certain obligations and responsibilities to care for this gift. One dimension of how we care for each other in God’s family the Church is stewardship.
 
 
 
Stewardship primarily involves an attitude of caring for each other through our commitment to the building up of the body of Christ, the Church. A major part of stewardship involves the giving of our resources so that the Church can continue its mission to proclaim Jesus Christ. Money and resources do not fall out of the sky. But what does stewardship mean for a mostly in-debt and poor college student? What expectation is there to give resources to the Church? All of us have a responsibility to give to the Church so she can continue.
 
Stewardship is not just for the wealthy! It is for EVERYONE. The worst thing that happens when we fail to contribute to the Church is that we develop an attitude of a spoiled child: all take, take, take, with lots of complaining, and no giving, no sacrifice. We all know that in every happy family there is a serious commitment on the part of members to contribute to the family according to each one’s abilities through time and energy. There are sacrifices made so that get-togethers and family celebrations can happen. If not, the family ties weaken. In addition, if a child is given lots of things without responsibility, that child will become “spoiled.” Similarly, if we do not contribute to the Church, our attitude can easily degenerate into a spoiled child’s attitude, which can lead to the weakening of our commitment to the Church. Conversely, when we contribute to the Church, we take ownership for it. I think of when I was about 14 and my parents made me pay for a new bicycle. They knew that if I worked hard and saved for this bike, I would take care of it. They were right. When we pay for something, it becomes more important to us. We take care of it more because we have sacrificed for it and are invested in it. This is good for us. So it is when we sacrifice for the Church: we get more out of it. No, we don’t “pay” for Church, but we all support her by providing what she needs to carry out her mission.
 
So how can a poor college student help? First, Jesus gives us instruction on charitable giving when he points out the poor widow who puts a penny into the poor box (cf. Luke 21:1-4). He teaches that she gave more than all the others combined because she gave from her need, not surplus. This is vitally important for our discernment in how much we should give. God NEVER penalizes us for being generous to Him; rather, the blessing is ours. It is also good for us not to be imprudent in giving away our resources out of any disordered spirit either, such as, out of competition, or to ease a guilty conscience, or to impress others, or to build up our “spiritual ego.” Every decision of charity should be made after prayerful discernment so that our generosity truly leads to God’s greater glory and our fulfillment as human persons. What does God want us to give? We should reflect on this and ask the Holy Spirit to guide our decision and bring us peace in our decision, taking into account how much we spend on other things in our lives, even consulting others to include their rationale in our decision making. Is the amount consonant with other priorities in my life? Second, it doesn’t matter how small our gift is. The important matter is that we are giving something from the heart. So, for example, if I am offering the equivalent of one meal, or one pizza, or one rented video, or one coffee, that’s fine; if I am putting in spare change or a few pennies, that’s fine too. The key thing is that we have prayerfully considered how much we will give, and give freely and generously, yet humbly. EVERYONE should give something.
 
Our Church, like every family, is in need of resources to survive. We give not out of guilt or some other disordered reason; we give because we want the Church to continue; we give to take responsibility for something we believe in; and we give because giving is good for us and the Church. Our generosity should image the generosity of God who gives generously and freely. The Church doesn’t have endless resources. It survives because its members give.
 
Fr. Will