Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

56 THE PASSIONATE STEWARD
find uncomfortable discussing, the subject is left almost exclusively
to parents. By limiting stewardship to money we have made it a
topic too private to discuss. We must not only recover our
understanding of Christian stewardship, but develop a healthier
attitude about the issue of money itself.
In the gospels, Jesus speaks often and freely about money—
indeed, seemingly more than about any other subject. When you
add to this his teachings about the gifts of talent and time, the
Gospel can be seen to convey a strong imperative to vocational
stewardship. We must learn to talk about stewardship in this
vocational sense, as Christ did, even if it means learning to speak
about money and resources in new and healthier ways. If we do not
begin to educate our youth, or to include instruction on stewardship
in the reception of adults through such programs as the Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) or other renewal programs, we
should not be surprised that stewardship is perceived as an
unimportant aspect of the examined Christian life.
Community Life
Embracing our lives as stewards must also find expression in
the ways by which we organize our congregational life. While
Roman Catholic Canon Law encourages the faithful to work in
consultation with their pastor on issues of financial management
and stewardship, other faith traditions have gone further and
entrusted the issue of stewardship primarily to the laity. Either way,
stewardship is the vocation of every Christian, and the more a
parish can involve the laity in related decision-making, the more
stewardship will be “owned” as a communal and individual pursuit.
There is profound truth in Jesus’ observation, “Where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:21). If individuals are
encouraged to use their talents and time (which is increasingly
valued in our fast-paced world) in community governance, ministry
and activities, then they will take the life of the community to heart.