Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

104 THE PASSIONATE STEWARD
undo the damage which has been done, and we must delay no
longer in setting about our task.
Reviewing our Individual Habits
Within the context of our parish life, we may begin by
reviewing our personal stewardship of time. I often begin training
sessions by asking parishioners to examine their appointment
diaries. A date book can reveal a great deal about what is truly
important to us. For instance, the person who spends a morning
each week at a drop-in centre for the homeless demonstrates a
concern for the disadvantaged. The executive who protects time for
his family may well have done so at the cost of other rewards. The
individual who makes time for continuing education has chosen to
care for the curiosity which God gave her. And so on. There is no
better place to begin a personal evaluation of one’s stewardship than
to review one’s calendar.
Christians who understand their vocation as stewards also
engage in reflection about the use of their talents. Talents are the
most wonderful of gifts simply because everyone has them.
Whether obvious or hidden, we are called to discern our talents and
put them to use in building up the Kingdom of God. Be it the ability
to use calligraphy to create lovely cards and signs, the gift of a
beautiful voice to praise God in worship, the talent of working
patiently with children as they learn the complexity of their faith, or
our education as writers, teachers, accountants, administrators and
even lawyers—we all have talents. Sometimes our gifts fit easily
into the needs our parish has identified: a lawyer volunteers her time
as a mediator for a peace and justice program, a teacher volunteers
as a catechist, or an administrative specialist uses his knowledge of
software and computer systems to create the parish bulletin.
Longtime married couples can be good counselors to young couples
for retreats; a carpenter can refurbish a broken pew; a handi-worker
can create frontals for the liturgy; and many other gifts can be