Stewardship is a way of life. It is a fully Christ-oriented life. Christ must share in every phase of our existence. In the true spirit of Stewardship, we find great joy in sharing with God. Our return of time, talent and treasure is an external demonstration of our faith, love and devotion. Love gives, and if you have never experienced the happiness and satisfaction of really sharing your life with Christ, you must try it or you will be the loser.
As baptized members of the church, we are asked to extend God's kingdom on earth with the talent God has given us. It is proper that we return to Him according to our capabilities. All of us are blessed with special talents and we should dedicate our talents to the service of our Lord through the service of our church in every way possible.
Sharing our time and talent indicates the depth of our faith and love for God and His church. God needs your particular charism to build the Kingdom of God. Every person can do something for the church as there are so many opportunities in the family -- the cooperation of all members, great or small, is what makes the family great, mediocre or weak. We want to be great in the service of God. Our joy in serving is the greatest gift God bestows upon us.
The offertory collection is a part of the Liturgy of the Mass. We offer financial support as a symbol of our offering ourselves with Christ. As the measure of our return to God, we turn to a measure that was presented by God, Himself, back in the time of Abraham; a tenth or tithe. This measure served as the standard through Old Testament times and more than fifteen centuries of the history of the Catholic Church.
At St. Brendan, our Stewardship of Treasure asks for a standard of 5% as a beginning for parish support and 1% for Diocesan support. The other 4% for other Christian activities which is subject to your own interpretation.
The Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure calls for personal sacrifice which, of course, means involvement and involvement brings about a meaningful experience in our Catholic faith. No parish can go forth progressively in regular operation and expansion without adequate Stewardship.
