Pastor's Pen - September 25, 2016

To be a Christian Steward: A Summary of the U.S. Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on Stewardship (section two)

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Pt 4:10)

A S Christian stewards, we receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others and return them with increase to the Lord.

STEWARDS OF CREATION
The Bible contains a profound message about the stewardship of material creation: God created the world, but entrusts it to human beings. Caring for and cultivating the world involves the following:
 Joyful appreciation for the God-given beauty and wonder of nature;
 Protection and preservation of the environment, which would be the stewardship of ecological concern;
 Respect for human life – shielding life from threat and assault, doing everything that can be done to enhance this gift and make life flourish; and
 Development of this world through noble human effort – physical labor, the trades and professions, the arts and sciences. We call such effort “work.”

Work is a fulfilling human vocation. The Second Vatican Council points out that, through work, we build up not only our world but the Kingdom of God, already present among us. Work is a partnership with God – our share in a divine human collaboration in creation. It occupies a central place in our lives as Christian stewards. Fr. Chuck