Generosity and Stewardship
“Stewardship involves contributing to my Church by volunteering with whatever talents I have and supporting it financially.”
Marilyn Rusznak, Parish Council Vice President
Stained glass mural on north side of church at OLHC. The Apostles gather with Mary 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus at Pentecost. The Apostles are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel to all peoples of every nation.
An Undivided Heart
Nobody had ever articulated better than Jesus the religion of the heart. As we know, Jesus of Nazareth was firmly rooted in Judaism. More accurately, Jesus was a Galilean as were Peter, Andrew, and some of the other disciples, and this fact helped shape Jesus’ unique form of Judaism. Galilee is an Aramaic word that means “heart.” The Sea of Galilee, in fact, is heart-shaped. The type of Judaism which was practiced by Jesus and other Galileans in this northern region tended to be more mystical, interior, spiritual, symbolic, and prayerful as opposed to the rationalist, external, and more worldly form practiced in Judea and its capital of Jerusalem. For Jesus, the heart, or the core of one’s personhood, requires purification before one can live single-mindedly for God and for the benefit of others with true freedom. Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth or property) (Matthew 6:24). Jesus also spoke of a new kind of treasure: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
Abundance
It may seem a bit paradoxical, but from a Biblical perspective, stewardship brings with it a great surprise. A life of giving does not make a person any poorer, rather makes a person much richer. Jesus says, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken, together, running over, will be poured into your lap” (Luke 6:38). A similar thought of a giver’s inexhaustible abundance is portrayed in the parable of the good steward. The steward who buries his/her gift in the ground and receives nothing in return, is contrasted to the good stewards who put their talents to good use and receive great abundance in return. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).
The Iconic Steward
The most blessed and exemplary steward in the Gospels may sometimes be overlooked, namely, the poor widow who for a good cause gave her contribution: “When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood” (Luke 21:1-4). Exceptional stewardship demands from us a more pure motivation with respect to the practice of our faith as well as a higher level of commitment.
