Read the Bishop's Blog

September 22, 2022

Do you see yourself as a steward of God’s gifts? Jesus used the steward as a metaphor for discipleship. Not only in this parable (Luke 16:1-11), but at another time he said, “Who is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?” (Lk. 12:42). In the First Letter of St. Peter, Christians are urged to use their gifts as stewards. It says, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. (1 Pet. 4:10) St. Paul used similar language. He wrote, “People should think of us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Cor. 4:1-2)

Are you a faithful steward of the mysteries of God? That includes the mystery of your own vocation. Are you serving the Lord in accord with your unique gifts? Those gifts include the mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. The paschal mystery is working through you as a baptized Christian. Christ lives in you. His Spirit was poured into your heart at Confirmation. He carries you in suffering and gives you his strength. You possess his eternal life right now. It is renewed at every Eucharist. Do you see yourself as a steward of the Holy Spirit?

In Jesus’ day the steward had enormous authority and responsibility. The owner often lived in a distant country, so the steward managed the day-to-day business transactions. Instead of a blue-collar worker, he was like a CEO of a huge company. He had full authority to run the master’s business. In a similar way, we have the authority to act in Jesus’ name.

When Jesus ascended to heaven, he gave the disciples his Spirit. Then he told them to continue his mission. He said, “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” (Jn. 20:21). In the end, pastors will have to give an accounting to the Good Shepherd. Did they care for his flock, like the Good shepherd who laid down his life for us? Every Christian will have to give an accounting for his or her gifts. The Lord will ask you and me: How did you contribute to the Body of Christ? Did you serve the least brothers and sisters of mine? Did you care for creation as the common home of all people?

We have full authority to conduct the Lord’s business. He gave us the power of the Holy Spirit to forgive like Christ, to heal the sick, even to celebrate the Eucharist where the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. We become his bread for others. We become his presence. We are “stewards of the mysteries of God.”

Everything is gift. Stewardship extends to every aspect of life: to all creation and to every relationship. At the end of our lives, we will give an accounting of these gifts, like the steward who gave an accounting to his master.

That kind of thinking was integral to my decision in considering the priesthood. I remember thinking about priesthood and feeling drawn toward it; yet it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. Still there was a nagging thought: “If God wants me to be a priest, then how will I answer to the Lord at the end of my life if I do something else?”  

At the time, I never used the language of stewardship, but that is what I was doing. I was thinking like a steward. I realized that my life was part of a bigger plan from God. It wasn’t my life. Rather I saw myself as gifted with a life and a purpose that was beyond my hopes and dreams. I had to surrender my will and my control. I needed to hand myself over to God. You see, a steward is also a servant. As St. Paul said, “People should think of us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” 

A steward is a disciple who realizes that his or her life belongs to God. The steward lives with an attitude of gratitude and generosity. Gratitude because everything is gift, and generosity because the Lord has blessed us with his life in abundance. He stunned us with his love, so that we would do the same for others.

Recently three parishes in the Diocese of Cheyenne offered private screenings of the Netflix documentary film Procession. The film tells the story of six men who experienced clergy sexual abuse. Showing the film is a way of supporting these men in their journey to healing. As I viewed the documentary, it helped me to understand the impact of sexual abuse in their lives.

Why do I mention this in a message on being a steward? Because Jesus showed compassion to the broken in society. The word that best describes his love for people is the Greek word splanknizomai. It means that his guts ached for them. He felt a visceral reaction to their pain. The gospel writers use the word splanknizomai to describe how Jesus reacted when he saw people in dire straits – lepers, the blind man, or a widow whose only son had died.

We are the stewards of his compassion. He gave us his Holy Spirit to continue his mission of healing and mercy. If you watch the film Procession, your guts should ache. It will not be a pleasant experience. But that is what compassion feels like. The word means to suffer with someone else. Watching the film is a simple way to be a steward of Jesus love. By listening to the story of these six men, we feel the impact of their pain.

A good pastor models for you Christ’s compassion. You should see Christ in him in everything that he does. You should hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you in his homilies, but his work does not stop there. A good pastor encourages every baptized Christian be Christ-like. He should call forth your gifts and encourage you to see how you can contribute to the Body of Christ.

The role of priest is not to be someone who does ministry by himself. St. Paul says that he is like the captain of a ship, as he coordinates the charisms of the Christian community. He is an encourager who helps people see their gifts. He is at the helm of the ship, and he helps everyone on board realize that we’re in this voyage together. Every single person is important. Everyone is co-responsible. The pastor is a steward of God’s gifts, who calls everyone to do the same.

Do you see yourself as a steward of God’s gifts? “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace." (1 Pet. 4:10) Are you a faithful steward of the Holy Spirit? How has the Lord gifted you to build up the Body of Christ? Give thanks for your gifts, especially for how the Lord fills you with his presence, even makes you his presence through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

Then imagine yourself standing before the Risen Christ at your death. Ask him, “Lord how do you want me to serve right now? How can I serve like you?”