What do you think of when you hear the word "stewardship?" Actually, stewardship is a concept that is scripturally based and absolutely vital to our life as Catholics. There are many references to the concept of Stewardship in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Starting in Genesis, God tells us that the world he has given us ".... is yours, take care of it." One of the first things God tells us to do is to be good stewards of the gifts He has entrusted to us!
As Catholics, we refer to the three facets of stewardship as TIME, TALENT, and TREASURE. Although these are three concrete ways to speak of and measure stewardship, the American Catholic Bishops have told us that stewardship is part of discipleship. Stewardship is a way of responding to God's call in every aspect of our life.
It is important to remember that stewardship is a way of life, not a program. True Catholic stewardship involves an ongoing call to live as followers of Christ. We need to examine how each of us is currently responding to God's call to stewardship. We must ask ourselves how much time do we spend in daily prayer, going to Mass or being involved in parish ministries and activities? What talents do we have that could be used to strengthen the parish family? What percentage of our income should we give back to God each week? It is in answering these questions that we come to a better understanding of how stewardship is a way of responding to God's call to discipleship.