The Spirituality of Stewardship

From Dan Conway’s The Good Steward, May 2004

When the American bishops published their pastoral letter on stewardship in 1992, the title they chose for this historic document was Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response. Why did they choose this particular title (a disciple’s response) and how does it contribute to our understanding of stewardship as a way of life?

Stewardship is a relatively new term in the Catholic vocabulary. The underlying principles (gratitude, accountability, generosity and giving back with increase) are ancient – dating back to themes in the Old and New Testaments and to the earliest Christian writers. But their application to the choices of modern living is new. Until recently, Catholic Christians were asked to approach “stewardship” as an obligation – either to support the work of the Church or as an expression of Christian charity. There was not much emphasis on the personal, spiritual dimension of Christian stewardship as a way of life.

The bishops’ pastoral letter sought to change the emphasis from giving out of a sense of obligation to giving as a response to God’s love for us. Stewardship is not simply an obligation, the bishops say. It is a joyful response to the Lord’s invitation: Go, sell what you have. Give it to the poor, and come follow me. Stewardship is a response in faith. It is our “yes” to God’s invitation to totally give ourselves to him …

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