Stewardship: Not a Passing Trend

An Everyday Stewardship Reflection for 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2016

There have been many times in the Church where we latch on to trends and movements, attracted by a new concept or idea of how we should practice our faith. I think back to the 1970’s, where art and environment seemed to explode into so many different directions. We were trying out new liturgical music forms, new ways of setting the tone of a worship space, and new prayer experiences we often labeled at para-liturgical. Even though some will look back with nostalgia or even fondness, a lot of it wasn’t very good for it distracted some from the source and summit of our faith: the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Mass. I mean, how many burlap and felt banners are too many? Some might say, “One!”

Regardless of how one might look back at those days, the reality is that most of it has passed away. It originated from humans and their experiences of the time. It was not some Divine revelation of how things should be.

Skeptics will say talk of stewardship in the Church today is really just a trend and it will pass away. In fact, I have been at conferences where presenters have suggested that it is time to leave the term stewardship behind. They think this spirituality has a human origin.

But stewardship is a spirituality that comes out of the parables and the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is about more than the simple slogans we have used: The 3 T’s, an Attitude of Gratitude, and Sharing is Caring. It is about seeing all things as gifts from God, and the use of those gifts for His glory. It is about total surrender to God. It is about a complete lack of attachment to things of this world and the giving of it all for eternal life in the next. It is about being a mature disciple. And you can put that on a banner!