Take good care!
The mystery of stewardship.
A steward is someone who has complete charge over someone else’s things. He protects them, develops them, maintains them with as much care as if they were his own - but all the while, he knows he does not own them. They belong to someone else, and he must answer to that person for the quality of his care and wisdom.
It is a rich idea for a Christian. Just think how many things fall into this category for us....
- our possessions - always a temporary holding (as last week’s gospel about the bigger barns proved). Why have we been given as much as we have? What are we supposed to be doing with it?
- our talents, which are God’s gifts for us to use wisely. And as the parable of the talents shows, the Lord will expect us to have done something worthwhile with them.
- our bodies - temples of the Holy Spirit, seeds of the resurrection. Spoiling our bodies through indulgence or laziness can’t be good stewardship!
- our planet - some Christians dont know that care of the environment is our duty under the Creator. These issues are not for ‘hippies’ they are for anyone who believes the world is a beautiful gift from the God who made it. And who is responsible for making sure everyone has enough of the world’s riches?
- our children - not a possession at all, but shared with us so that we can share the work of forming them in truth and goodness.
The mystery of stewardship cuts both ways though. True, it prevents us from thinking we own these things, and imagining we don’t have to answer to anyone for how we manage them. But it also offers us reassurance. In the end, the responsibility is the Lord’s. To him belongs all these things, and we belong to him too. And this is why the gospel begins with the comforting reminder:
“There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.”
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Postal address: Ampleforth Abbey, York, YO62 4EN.
email contact: webmonk@ampleforth.org.uk phone:01439 766714
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