The True Mission of the Church is to Grow Stewards.

In order to accomplish God’s Mission in the world we have to be willing to use some of our gifts for God’s work.  The tithe is the standard by which we measure our commitment to God.  But many find the tithe too rigorous a standard and I have suggested that half a tithe (five percent of gross income) might be a better start. Then we can commit to grow our tithe over time to a full ten percent measure.

Of course, if we give some of our gifts to God, that means we have less for ourselves. Then we begin to think that having less for ourselves means there is scarcity in our lives—we don’t have enough. This thinking comes from our culture and its insistence that our lives are filled with scarcity; everything is finite and there isn’t enough to “go around.”

But our lives are full of abundance. Is it difficult for us to count our blessings in this season of Thanksgiving?  Whatever failure we have in understanding that the abundance in our lives is from God, comes from listening to our culture and its message to live above our means.

We have been entrusted with great wealth and abundance. We have been gifted with resources which God will use in his mission to reconcile the world to himself. Growing stewards means we must learn to live within our means.

Recently on the “Today Show” there was a segment on how to save money on buying a car.  One commentator spoke of various financing options; lease vs. purchase, five year term vs. six years, new vs. previously owned.  The second commentator replied, “Buy a less expensive model—one you can afford.”

Stewardship is not money—it is how we organize our lives and set our priorities. It’s all about the care of souls.

Peace,
Father Mark +