Thoughts on Stewardship
The Lord does us the honor of placing his confidence in us and calling us to the ministry, showing us his mercy. This call is not reserved for a few, it is for everyone, each in his own state of life.
- Pope John Paul II
To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others.
- Pope John Paul II
Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless people now.
- St. Teresa of Avila
I am nothing; I am but an instrument, a tiny pencil in the hands of the Lord with which He writes what he likes. However imperfect we are, he writes beautifully.
- Mother Teresa
Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
- Winston Churchill
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 (English Standard Version)
God has given you a gift, a charism. A charism isn't something you earn. It's a gift entrusted to you for the sake of the whole community, including your church. The only question is whether you will put it at the service of the community or not. Pray that you will grow in your understanding of stewardship of your talents and abilities.
- Author Unknown
Every person should walk unhesitatingly according to their own personal gifts and duties in the path of a living faith which arouses hopes and works through charity.
- Vatican Council II – Lumen Gentium 41
Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
- Albert Einstein
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try me in this, says the Lord of hosts: Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven, to pour down blessing upon you without measure?
- Malachi 3:10
A sense of Stewardship tells us we must take time to do God's work on earth. When you compare what you have contributed in time, do not compare it to what your fellow church member has done. Compare what you have done to what God has done for you. This must be the standard for your comparison.
- Author Unknown
Reflect that in reality you have a greater need to serve the poor than they have of your service.
– St. Angela Merici
When we serve others, we are imitating Jesus. We advance from volunteer to steward when we consciously choose to dedicate a portion of our time, talent, and treasure to the Lord, as a token of our gratitude for all He has given to us.
- Author Unknown
The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.
- Albert Schweitzer
Many people, including Christians, ought to be concerned about the goods and services offered in the marketplace. We act on this concern by paying attention to the way in which we spend our money. A determination by a sufficiently large group of people to buy morally good products, which is an exercise of Stewardship, can have an impact on the marketplace.
- Stewardship and Home Economics, Robert G. Kennedy, PhD
As consumers, our preference ought to be to spend our money, even for ordinary things, in ways that help individuals and improve our communities. These opportunities may not always exist, but good stewards look for them, try to create them, and take advantage of them when they can.
- Stewardship and Home Economics, Robert G. Kennedy, PhD.
The early Christians were apprehensive of wealth for they were fearful that it would be a distraction from the higher goods of the Kingdom. Even so, they recognized that the possession of wealth, if not the result of greed and injustice, provided an opportunity for the rich man to do God's work in a special way. Good stewards take a similar attitude.
- Stewardship and Home Economics, Robert G. Kennedy, Ph.D.
If you planted hope today
In any hopeless heart
If someone's burden was lighter
Because you did your part,
If you caused a laugh
That chased some tears away
If tonight your name is named
When someone kneels to pray
Then your day has been well spent.
- Author Unknown
The constructive use of riches is better than their possession.
- Author Unknown
This is the fast that pleases me: to release those bound unjustly, to let the oppressed go free, to share your bread with the hungry and to shelter the homeless poor, to clothe those who are naked, not turning your back on your own kind. If you do away with the clenched fist, the wicked word, if you give your bread to the hungry and relief to the oppressed, your light will rise in the darkness.
- Isaiah 58: 6-8
A Talent is a talent until it is used to serve God. At that point it becomes a gift of ultimate value, multiplying every time we use it. In man's eyes it may seem insignificant, in God's eyes, you are a superstar.
- Author Unknown
Although we are recipients of almost limitless gifts, our tendency is often to call them our own and claim them for ourselves exclusively.
- Author Unknown
Christian stewardship reminds us that these gifts are not our own, that we have a trusteeship over them and not an ownership.
- Author Unknown
Lord, You have given me so much. I ask for one thing: a grateful heart.
- George Herbert
Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.
- Mother Theresa
Use what talents you possess: The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.
- Author Unknown
It is a freedom God bestows on those who trust Him when he says, "A person's wealth does not consist in the abundance of things he/she possesses." That is not a threat. It is a promise, and it is God himself who stands behind that promise.
- Author Unknown
Dear Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve, to give and not count the cost, to fight and not heed the wounds, save that of knowing that I do your will.
- St. Ignatius Loyola
It's a pitfall... to engage in acts of blessing or charity with the expectation of a specific reward. Neat, warm, fuzzy endings are the stuff of motion pictures, not necessarily real life. The truth is that you may never know the outcome of a particular act of service.
- Thomas Kinkade
Reflect upon your present blessings.
- Charles Dickens
No one has ever become poor by giving.
- Anne Frank
Every person has the obligation to discern concrete ways God intends us to use our talents and resources. To make a commitment to worship God through faithful living and carefully stewarding our gifts and our very lives to the limit of our strength and abilities will reap untold spiritual benefits for us and for all those with whom we come in contact.
- Author Unknown
There is something missing in our makeup if we can look at all we have to enjoy and not be moved by some desire to express our thanks. And a natural expression of our gratitude is responsible generosity.
- Author Unknown
The recognition of the extent to which we are blessed by God materially, mentally and spiritually should lead first to gratitude and then to generosity.
- Author Unknown
No one could show me where my soul might be; I searched for God, and He eluded me; I served my neighbor, and I found all three.
- Ernest Crosby
Somewhere out there is a unique place for you to serve, a unique life role for you to fill. Only you can make your particular contribution to humankind.
- Thomas Kinkade
In the bearing of another's burdens, in the sharing of another's pain, we begin to dance.
- Jim Cotter
Always hold firmly to the thought that each of us can do something to bring some portion of misery to an end.
- Author Unknown
If you assume that there's no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, there is a chance you may contribute to making a better world. That's your choice.
- Noam Chomsky
The most widespread misunderstanding is that which assumes that giving is 'giving up' something, being deprived. Giving is more joyous than receiving, not because it is a deprivation, but because in the act of giving lies the expression of my aliveness.
- Eric Fromm
Stewardship is … a little bit you, a forward path, a privilege, a way, a choice, a pleasure, a helping hand, a promise, a connection, a right, a responsibility, a thank you, an awareness, a commitment, a gift, a crossroad decision, a connection to each other, a little bit of you for God.
- Author Unknown
The Bible says God called the world He had created ""ood” and he gave man "dominion" over it (Genesis 1:26,31). God still calls us to exercise dominion over the earth - by exercising restraint in our buying habits… by being vigilant in our recycling habits… by exercising judgment in our disposal habits. When we do, God calls it stewardship.
- Author Unknown
It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.
- Leo F. Buscaglia (1924-1998)
Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means.
- Leo F. Buscaglia (1924-1998)
Possessions are gifts from God and are more for the sake of the brethren than one's own soul. The Christian should not carry them about in his soul, nor allow them to bind and circumscribe his life. He is able with cheerful mind to bear their removal equally with their abundance.
- St. Clement of Alexandria
There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life – happiness, freedom, and peace of mind – are always attained by giving them to someone else.
- Peyton Conway March
A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.
- Chinese Proverb
We must not only give what we have; we must also give what we are.
- Desire Mercier
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
People can be divided into three groups: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder 'what happened?'
- Nicholas Murray Butler
It is not by accident that the happiest people are those who make a conscious effort to live useful lives. Their happiness, of course, is not a shallow exhilaration where life is one continuous intoxicating party. Rather, their happiness is a deep sense of inner peace that comes when they believe their lives have meaning and that they are making a difference for good in the world.
- Ernest Fitzgerald
We all start out in life with one thing in common; we all have the same amount of time. It's just a matter of what we do with it.
- Harvey B. Mackay, Entrepreneur and Author
Do not confuse notoriety and fame with greatness... For you see, greatness is a measure of one's spirit, not a result of one's rank in human affairs.
- Sherman Finesilver, Chief Judge, US District Court
In the design of God, every man is called upon to develop and fulfill himself, for every life is a vocation. (Pope Paul VI, On the Development of Peoples, 1967). This is an awesome invitation to stewardship by our Creator who asks each to direct him or herself "...toward the destiny intended..."
- Author Unknown
A candle looses nothing by lighting another candle.
- James Keller
Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.
- Henry Van Dyke
The solidarity which binds all men together as members of a common family makes it impossible for wealthy nations to look with indifference upon the hunger, misery and poverty of other nations whose citizens are unable to enjoy even elementary human rights. The nations of the world are becoming more and more dependent on one another and it will not be possible to preserve a lasting peace so long as glaring economic and social imbalances persist.
- Quote from Catholic Peace document
Stewardship is what I do after I say I believe.
- Author Unknown
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
The human and spiritual needs of peoples beyond our boarders call us to the urgency of mission. Mission always expresses a concern for the life of others. Moved by the Spirit, we ardently desire that our brothers and sisters have life, and in abundance.
- U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Statement on World Missions
If you assume that there's no hope, you guarantee that there is no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, there is a chance you may contribute to making a better world.
- Noam Chomsky
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?
- Henry David Thoreau
Out of love, place yourselves at another's service.
- Galatians 5:13
There is a call to all of us, a call of service – that we join with others to try to make things better in this world.
- Dorothy Day
We have to learn to give, learn to share, learn to think of others. We have to learn to hold life loosely and freely – to give away our time and energy and money for the purpose of helping others, trusting that there will still be enough to take care of our needs and give us joy.
- Thomas Kinkade
After prayerful thought about the size of our gift;
When we do not find ourselves making excuses for its size;
When we know in our hearts it is sacrificial;
When we are completely honest with God and ourselves;
Then we know our gift is the correct amount.
- Bishop Gerber - 2002 ICSC Conference
Love is a spendthrift. It leaves arithmetic at home.
- CS Lewis
Go break to the needy, Sweet Charity's Bread
"For Giving is Living" ...the Angel had said.
"But must I keep giving again and again?"
"Oh no," said the Angel, chilling me through,
"Just give til the Master stops giving to you!"
- Author Unknown
Let us master this great and simple truth that all rich materials and productions of the world, being God's property, are intended for God's service and sin only, nothing but sin, turns them to different purpose.
- Cardinal Newman
Do we make a difference in our service to others because of our relationship to the Lord?
- Author Unknown
...stewardship of the world is expressed by jubilant appreciation of nature, whose God-given beauty not even exploitation and abuse have destroyed.
- "Stewardship: A Disciple's Response" - US Catholic bishops' pastoral letter on stewardship
The Paradox of Stewardship
Stewardship starts with God and His abundance. All too often we have a scarcity mentality. All we can see is what we lack… The more we hold on to what we have, the less we can receive. We have to let go… Only when we are willing to surrender them, to share our bounty… will God bestow even more blessings on us. That is the paradox of Stewardship.
- Author Unknown
Every one of us has something we can do to help others. It doesn't matter how rich or how poor we are, how smart, educated or famous we might be. Each of us has been given at least one gift that we can use on behalf of the rest of humanity.
- Author Unknown
One of the greatest gifts God gives us is the twenty-four hours we get at the start of each day… A gift of time is a good place to start living as a Christian steward. One of the best uses of our time is in prayer.
- Author Unknown
When we show our gratitude to God by sharing our talents and resources, we multiply them throughout our parish and community. Christ's miracle of the loaves and fishes occurs again and again and again whenever we give freely of ourselves to others. Just as in the parable, we will find ourselves fulfilled, less empty than we have ever been.
- Author Unknown
We have all heard the saying, "Give 'til it hurts." What we discover, through practicing stewardship, is that it simply is not true. Emptiness, isolation and rejection of God's presence in our lives hurts. Responding to God's grace in our lives with acts of sharing, giving, and caring fills our lives with joy and purpose. "Giving 'til it hurts”"never hurts.
- Author Unknown
Our faith can truly be considered mature when we know that God always is present in our lives, even in our darkest hours. Our response, then, is always gratitude, no matter our personal trials. Our commitment to sharing remains constant, a continuing act of prayer. If you are reading this, you are enjoying one of God's greatest gifts to us: life itself.
- Author Unknown
There are many in this world who have less than we do. There are many in this world who have more than we do. This makes no difference to our commitment to share our own gifts and resources. It is not about who has less than I do. It is not about who has more than I do. It is about: "What will I do?"
- Author Unknown
Remember, what you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else, but what you are will be yours forever.
- Henry van Dyke, American clergyman, educator and author (1852-1933)
The trouble is that rich people, well-to-do people, very often don't really know who the poor are; and that is why we can forgive them, for knowledge can only lead to love, and love to service. And so, if they are not touched by them, it's because they do not know them.
- Mother Teresa
It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.
- Mother Teresa
Stewards understand that the next step is to share the gifts they have been given. Stewards share with a joyful heart, for you cannot love without giving. Understand this love is a reflection of God's love for them.
- Author Unknown
God has promised to return the gifts that are returned to Him. It is a never ending circle. We receive gifts from God, we return them with increase. Not to be outdone, God returns them back to us. The more we give away, the more we are blessed. This is not the reason stewards give; it is the result of giving.
- Author Unknown
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring ... all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
- Author Unknown
Gratitude: A single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer.
- Gotthold Ephraim Lesseng
It is the heart that gives, the fingers just let go.
- Nigerian proverb
In God's Hands
A baseball glove in the average person's hands is worth about $25.
A baseball glove in Dale Murphey's hands is worth about 2 million dollars.
A lot depends on whose hand's it's in.
Five loaves and two fish in the disciple's hands could feed about 15 people.
Five loaves and two fish in the Lord's hands fed thousands.
A lot depends on whose hands it's in.
- Author Unknown
Giving 'Off the Top'
A missionary in Africa had taught his people to tithe. He had explained that "tithe" meant "one-tenth," and that this should be their goal. He also had emphasized the difference between giving what is left over, and giving off the top.
Early one morning a man came to the door with a fine fish, explaining that this was his "tithe".
"You must have done well," said the missionary, "if you already caught 10 fish."
"No," said the man. "This is the one I've caught so far. I'm going back now to catch the other nine."
- Author Unknown
In the bearing of another's burdens, in the sharing of another's pain, we begin to dance.
- Jim Cotter
So often we hold on to possessions like a toddler who has just learned the word "mine." A good steward recognizes that nothing is truly ours – we're only caretakers. When we accept this, the burden of holding on to our possessions is lifted.
- Author Unknown
Trust in God….
Stewards develop a deep trust in God … so deep that we can give our last dollar, or our last fifteen minutes of time, with full confidence that there will always be enough money and enough time to meet our own needs.
- Author Unknown
We all have a need to give back in gratitude for what has been given to us. But when we give, an interesting phenomenon occurs. We give, and more comes back to us! And we have more that we want to share with others … and we give again! Giving feels good!
- Author Unknown
Reflection on the Nativity
If it happened here as it happened there;
If it happened now as it happened then;
Who would see the miracle?
Who would bring gifts?
Who would take them in?
- Author Unknown
Living as stewards brings tough questions to our lives. For example, do our time planners, credit cards, and checkbooks reveal that we are good stewards in our families and congregations?
- Author Unknown
Please consider remembering your parish in your Will. Some gifts are apples. A Planned Giving gift is an apple TREE.
- Author Unknown
God has given us two hands - one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.
- Billy Graham
Giving is a necessity sometimes... more urgent, indeed, than having.
- Margaret Lee Runbeck
"Who then is the faithful and wise steward…?" Discipleship entails responsible stewardship. As children of God, created in his likeness and redeemed through his mercy, and as members of his Church, may our response for stewardship flow from the acceptance of our role as disciples, rooted in the deep joy of a vibrant faith.
- Author Unknown
We know the sacrifice that God gave to us to show how much he loves us… How we use our time, talent and treasure shows God how much we love him!
- Author Unknown
From a sincere examination of conscience comes the harrowing recognition of how much we personally contribute to the sorrows around us. Contrition, repentance and the longing for a sincere reconciliation with the living God are the most perfect human response.
- Author Unknown