Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of the greatest joys people have is selecting a gift for someone they love. The excitement builds as the person opens the gift and shows in word or action appreciation of the time and effort spent in selecting that gift. One of the most disappointing moments is when the gift is not appreciated but put away in a closet or drawer for another time. My brothers and sisters in Christ, stewardship is the response we are asked to make to the gifts we have received from God. All of us have been given various talents or gifts. Each of us receives twenty-four brand new hours each day, and each of us is able to support our families by using our time and talent. As we acknowledge that all we have is a gift from God, we are asked to give back some of our time, talent and financial resources to help continue the work of Christ in the world. Until recently, stewardship is a word that hasn’t been part of our Catholic vocabulary. Basically, much of our faith has been seen as a private, personal relationship with God. People chose to become involved in church work or to give in the weekly collection generally based on their own good will or some sense of obligation to the Church. Why the change? Stewardship has many references in the New Testament. Jesus speaks of the “good steward” the one who cares for the household when the master is away. It also speaks of a relationship to God and to our world that is more accurate in terms of our dependence on God for everything. Stewardship comes from the concept that all we are and have comes from God, who has gifted us with talents and abilities, through which we are able to relate to others, earn a living and interact in our daily life. Just as in life, we show our appreciation for gifts that we receive by using them and sharing them, God asks us to use the talents that have been given us, not just for ourselves but in service of others and the Church, whose mission it is to proclaim God’s reign in the world. This attitude requires a change of heart and mind, as we recognize that all we have is a gift coming not through our own efforts but because God has gifted us. We are so used to believing that we have earned anything we have. It requires a new way of thinking to acknowledge that all is gift. God, through stewardship, asks us to give back to others; to share some of what we have been given, our time, talent and treasure ■ Fr. Agustin