As each one has received a gift,
use it to serve one another as good
stewards of God’s varied grace.”
~ 1 Peter 4:10

Stewardship is a grateful response to God’s love. Based in Scripture, all that we are and all that we have flows from God as gift. In turn, we serve as stewards of our spiritual and material gifts and we share these gifts in love of God and neighbor.
Stewardship is a way of life.

According to the Bishops’ Pastoral Letter of 1992, Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, a Christian Steward is:
• One who receives God’s gifts gratefully: Gratitude
• Cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner: Responsibility
• Shares them in justice and love with others: Generosity
• Returns them with increase to the Lord: Returns

 
Stewardship of Time, Talent, and Treasure
Stewardship involves intentional, planned and proportionate giving of our time, talent, and treasure. Stewardship is:
• Intentional – A deliberate decision is made to live out the Christian life in a certain way. That way is to thank God for all His blessings by returning to Him a portion of our time, talent, and treasure.
• Planned – At the beginning of every year, each Catholic household should plan to make stewardship of time and talent part of daily lifestyle and stewardship of treasure a part of an annual budget.
• Proportionate – A decision is made to give a certain percentage of one’s time and income to the church and other charities.

 
Giving of time involves being with God in prayer and worship, sharing our love with family and friends, and serving in church and community activities that help others and promote justice. Sharing our talents arises from the fact that God has given each of us the ability and gifts to do certain things well, and we are to develop those talents for the good of others. Many individuals commit a certain number of hours each week to prayer and charitable activities.
Giving of our treasure is equally as important as giving of our time and talent. Since God does not hold back on any area of His giving, so we should not hold back on any area of our giving, especially in the crucial areas of supporting our parish, diocese, Catholic schools, community causes, and charitable organizations.
If we use our gifts only for ourselves, we would not be loving our neighbor as ourselves. God intends that we use our gifts by sharing them for the good of all.
No one can do everything, and God asks no more of us than our gifts make possible. But when we do use our gifts of time, talent, and treasure to make our families healthy, our parish vibrant, our community a better place to live, then we are bringing the Kingdom of God to earth.
As people come to see their faith as something they hold in common, they want to share it with others. Those who are looking for a spiritual home will be attracted to this faith.
Christian discipleship is both personal and communal. We grow in grace together. We nourish our hearts while we nourish the hearts of others.