Stewardship gives meaning to Christmas

My sisters and brothers,

This time of year, we can quite easily get caught up in the many preparations for Christmas. Whether it is readying your home for the arrival of family and friends, making sure all the decorations are in place, or ensuring you have all the ingredients to prepare that big meal, there is indeed much to do as the Nativity of our Lord draws near. 

And of course, there is the sometimes overwhelming task of choosing gifts for loved ones. This year let us take a different approach to the tradition of gift giving. By focusing on being better stewards, we can approach gift-giving in a new and inspired way. Amid the flurry of preparations and nonstop activity, let us find some quiet time to acknowledge the gifts God has first given us, how we have used them, and how these special gifts can serve others. Before we give our gifts, let us reflect on what it takes to be a good steward. 

The truest sense of stewardship begins with the first gift of all, and that is God’s gift of his Son to the world. Without that, stewardship in our sense does not exist. God’s gift of his only Son is the model of stewardship we are called to emulate. God has given us everything through his Son, Jesus Christ.

When we fashion our giving based on this ultimate gift, what exactly are we offering? If the fruit of our giving leads to or inspires peace, we are being good stewards of our gifts. For example, offering the gift of forgiveness to end a longstanding disagreement with someone might be the salve that brings new healing to an old wound. Consider a selfless act of charity that involves volunteering time to help someone in dire need. Or being available for a loved one or friend who is burdened and needs to express their feelings to a caring and sympathetic listener.

Giving these kinds of gifts fortifies our spirit of stewardship and allows us the grace of truly expressing and experiencing who we really are. While we may not realize it, we are in the beautiful reflection of God who offers himself as the ultimate gift through the birth of Jesus. When we take time to truly absorb how we are imitating God’s way of giving, we see that stewardship is not just about something that goes from the pocket to the plate, but it is about being who we are and offering that in service to God and his people.

God gives of Himself through the incarnation of Jesus, and we must aspire to give as deeply when we give our gifts to others.

Being a good steward is our truth. It is not a matter of choice. If we are in God’s image, we are stewards. I present this as a call to self-realization. To be self-realized as a Catholic Christian, we must answer the call to stewardship. Stewardship is not a bargaining point. It is intentional without conditions.

Stewardship gives meaning to Christmas. God gave us his only Son, and his Son is the embodiment of peace, the ultimate gift. Jesus calls us to share that peace with others, even in the face of a violent, fractured world rife with division and hatred.

This can only happen when we first examine our own stewardship and how the Holy Spirit moves us to a more profound understanding of giving our gifts in terms of time, talent, and treasure and how these gifts can bring peace to those who are around us.
 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

+Wm. Michael Mulvey, Bishop of Corpus Christi