Download Spirituality of Stewardship

The Blest Life
Define It!
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Lots of money
Good Health
Good Health Benefits
Secure Future
High Paying Position In
a secure company
• Large IRA
• Secure Retirement
• Model Children, usually
a specific number
• No Worries
• These are all Blessings, but are they
a Blest Life?
• Pay Check to Pay Check
• Chronic health problems
• Reducing health
benefits
• Entry position at an
“iffy” company
• No IRA
• No or diminishing
retirement
• Lots of children with
some with special needs
• One headache after
another
• Challenges many face daily
but can this be a blest life?
A Blest Life
• Whatever life we have
if we see it and all in it as
a gift from God!
What is every person given by
God?
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Our gender
Our abilities
The family we are born into
The religion we profess
A face different from all others
A name called by God, different from every other
name
• These are our gifts, what we do with them
defines our lives as blest or not.
• John Powell, S.J. wrote:
• “There is an ancient tradition that God sends each
person into the world to deliver a special message,
with a special song to sing, with a special act of love
to bestow. No one else can speak my message, sing
my song, or offer my act of love. They have been
entrusted only to me.”
Three Convictions underlying the
Pastoral:
1.Mature disciples make a conscious, firm
decision, carried out in action, to be followers
of Jesus Christ no matter the cost to
themselves.
Our Current Challenge
• Does our church have more or less mature
Disciples now?
• How do we get more?
Conviction Two
2. Beginning in conversion, change of mind and
heart, this commitment is expressed not in a
single action, nor even in a number of actions
over a period of time, but in an entire way of
life. It means committing one’s very self to
the Lord.
Necessary Conversion
• God’s ownership of everything also changes
the kind of questions we ask in giving. Rather
than ‘How much of my money should I give
God?’ We learn to ask ‘How much of God’s
money do I keep for myself?’
Conviction Three
3. Stewardship is an expression of discipleship,
with the power to change how we understand
and live our lives. Disciples who practice
stewardship recognize God as the origin of
life, the giver of freedom, the source of all
they have and are and will be. They know
they are recipients and caretakers of God’s
many gifts.
4 ways to get them there
• This is a long term continuing process that demands we know
our place in the process.
• The Parable of the sower and the seed applies here.
• We must constantly sow the seeds of Stewardship and trust
God to make them grow.
• Do we have the right Stewardship seeds in our seed bags and
is there enough there?
• Encourage people to examine and interiorize
these principles
• Are we giving them enough?
The 4 ‘I’s
• The purpose of stewardship is to ask people to
participate with God at their parish through
offering involvement opportunities, and
instruction in biblical stewardship while
encouraging intercession and involvement in
the ministry.
• Lay out a vision of a sharing generous
accountable way of life rooted in Christian
Discipleship.
• Constant sowing of biblical principles and
invitation to a fulfilling life journey.
• Present a vision people can take to heart and
apply to the circumstances of their lives.
• To help people become rich before God we
must show more than the ministry’s financial
need we must sow a clear idea of what it is
trying to accomplish.
Implications
• Parents must model a selfless service to one another, other
children, to the wider community and those in need
• Cannot assume they know how to do this, we have to give
them what they need to thrive.
• We must know the person/ s, find their passion, get their
permission to share our ministry, share how they could best
participate and encourage prayer about their response.
• Parishes must become true communities of
faith where the Christian way of life is learned
and practiced.
• Liturgy, Formation, Administration and
Outreach.
•. The Church must adopt sound business
practices that are legal, open, consultative,
collegial and accountable.
• People must know what we are doing
• Why are we doing it and
• How to plug into it
Danger
• Parochialism
• Counterproductive to the mission
• Adopt an outward vision in service to all in
need
The Three ‘M’s’ of Life
• Mate/s
• Morals
• Mission
Modern Day Stewards
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Luke 12: 42-44
Faithful & prudent
Understands the need to serve
Accountable to what is entrusted
See world as grandeur of God
Conscientious
Understands role of co-worker of God
Generous out of love as well as duty
Understand life is not always easy
Who are they?
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CEO
CFO
COO
President
Pastor
Boss
Supervisor
Banker
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Stock Broker
Teacher
Parent
Sibling
Child
Friend
Believer
All
Whose Job is This
• This is a story about four people named Everybody,
Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job
to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it but Nobody did it. Somebody got
angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody
thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that
Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed
Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Genealogy of Faith
• Who most influenced you?
• What influence am I having on those coming
after me?