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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

lmost every definition of stewardship eventually gets down to the notion of “trust” — trust in God. That is certainly Christ’s message in today’s Gospel, when He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” In other words, trust Me; trust My Father; and trust the Holy Spirit, Who is always with you and among you.

Nevertheless, we must never lose sight of the fact that trust as we understand, both it in relation to the Lord and in relation to stewardship, is a two-way street. Yes, it is our trust in God that allows us to take the risks involved in stewardship and give of ourselves and of what we have. Equally important, though, is that other feature of stewardship, of trust.

Trust has a dual meaning. Of course, it means that we have confidence in God as a presence, helper and comforter in our lives. Nonetheless, it also involves that other meaning of trust — something given to us, an interest we hold for God and the benefit of others. God entrusts us with several things we hold in trust: our families; the very earth on which we live; the Church; Holy Scripture and the Gospels. These are given to us in trust that we might nurture them, expand them, and return them to God with increase.

We are called to trust God, as He is our Advocate, but we must never forget that God trusts us, too. As Blessed Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.”

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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Stewardship is a joyful response in gratitude for the many gifts granted by the Lord. Doesn’t that sound a lot like Paul and Barnabas as they left Antioch in today’s first reading? “The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”

The readings for this Fourth Sunday of Easter are filled with the reasons we have to be joyful. From the first reading when Paul makes it clear that each of us is part of the Kingdom of God to the second reading in which John has a vision which includes every “nation, people, race, and tongue” to the Gospel in which Jesus comforts us by saying of us, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish,” it is clear that we, too, are a chosen people.

Calling stewardship a “joyful response” brings to mind other ways that way of life has been described, including “a grateful response” and “a disciple’s response.” All of those apply to the good steward. Because we place our trust in the Lord, we understand that He is the Shepherd, the Lamb of God, and we are His flock.  Another psalmist proclaims, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1) The more we come to see that God entrusts these things to us for the purpose of serving and glorifying God, the more we are able to offer them joyfully back to God.

Copyright © 2013 www.TheCatholicSteward.com

CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

Can there be a more specific instruction to us as stewards than “Feed my sheep?” Of course, Jesus was saying this to St. Peter, and the meaning behind these words was much broader than what it may be to us. However, the basic charge is the same.
The good steward recognizes that each day is a challenge to reach out to others, a call to each of us to represent our Lord in our dealings for and with everyone with whom we come in contact. Just as is the case in the readings for this Third Sunday of Easter, it is not necessarily easy. Peter, John, and the others were willing to be punished, prepared to sacrifice to be followers of Jesus.
What do we do to feed the Lord’s sheep? When we go to Mass, we are one of the sheep coming to be fed. It would seem that Jesus is challenging us to do more than that. If we view ourselves as stewards of the faith, as stewards of our families, as stewards of our neighborhoods and communities, it means that we are expected to do more, to give more of ourselves to assure that the flock is truly tended and fed.
We live in an extremely secular world, a world that constantly places barriers to us as Catholics and Christians. Just as Peter, John, and the others respond, we, too, need to realize that there are times when we must recognize that “We must obey God rather than men.”

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