GOD SO LOVED HE GAVE

FROM A HEART OF GRATITUDE
WE GIVE OUR
TIME, TALENT & TREASURE
 

Everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God.
Stewardship is the ability to share our gifts of life – Time, Talent & Treasure with others, no strings attached and no conditions. We share these gifts out of our love for God and gratitude to Him.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matt 6:23

Stewardship Prayer

My PARISH is composed of People like me.
It help make if what it is.
It will be friendly, if I am.

Its pews will be filled, If I help fill them.
It will do great work, if I work.

It willmake generous gifts to many causes,
If I am a generous giver.
It will bring other people into its worship and fellowhsip
If invite and bring them.

It will be a Church of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith,
and a Church wiht a noble spirit, If I who,
makes it what it is, am filled with the same things.

Therefore, with the help of God,
I shall dedicate myself to the task of being
all the things that I want my Parish to be.

Steward what?

Faith Focus for the Week

What is Catholic stewardship really all about?

People sometimes speak of stewardship in the context of “the three t’s”: time, talent, and treasure. Many of us grew up only hearing the word when someone was asking for money, so a wall of defense appears anytime we hear the word stewardship. Perhaps it is time to consider what stewardship really is, since it is a deeply meaningful way of life.

When the word steward is used in the Bible, it refers to one who cares for the vineyard, livestock, or property of another, nurturing it to yield with increase. When Jesus uses the word, he is helping his disciples (those who are learning his ways) to understand that our lives, our talents and abilities, our financial resources, everything we value — all is given to us by God in trust. God trusts that we will care for these gifts, but also something more: Jesus tells us that God’s way of caring is sharing. God’s way of sharing is in sacrifice. To sacrifice is to offer something of value to God, making it holy. We are called to take our talents and multiply them, to shine Christ’s light brightly, and to use our resources to care for one another. Jesus himself is the model of such stewardship. He sacrifices himself wholly and freely, never holding back.

At the heart of it all is our relationship with Christ. Living as disciples, our very lives become a reflection of that relationship. Living life as a steward isn’t always easy. Being a steward of so much requires us to think about how we are using all we have been given, to grow in gratitude for these abundant blessings, and to challenge ourselves to stretch beyond what is comfortable, to sacrifice. The Gospels tell us that that is the way Jesus lived his life. When we share our presence, our prayers, our gifts, and our service, we continue Christ’s mission, transforming the world one person at a time.

This article comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Five Principles of Stewardship Giving

• Planned – We spend time in thought and prayer when deciding what to give, rather than merely giving what we happen to have left at the end of the week.

• Proportionate – Our giving is proportionate to what God has given us. We give in proportion to the gifts we have received.

• Sacrificial – We give back to God from our substance, rather than our abundance.

• Grateful – Our offering is a grateful response to the immense love God has for us.

• A Gift – What we give is a gift, given without reservation or condition.

“Let me say this much: He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Everyone must give according to what he has decided; not sadly, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver. God can multiply His favors among you so that you may always have enough of everything and even a surplus for good works.” II Cor 9:6-8

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