Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time

In the broadest theological sense, stewardship is founded on the irrefutable truth, as our Catholic faith teaches us, that our lives are not our own. We did not will ourselves into being, nor did we bring about our redemption. Our existence and our salvation are wholly gifted to us by God in an entirely unmerited way! God is rightfully the “owner” of everything that we have that is good, beautiful, holy, just, and true in our lives. Thus, in life and in recovery, there is nothing more important than living out with purity of heart our vocation to be gracious stewards of the manifold gifts we are given!

Today’s first reading illustrates just how important stewardship is on a cosmic level. God literally wove it into the very fabric of creation itself! He culminates the order and beauty of Creation by making man and woman “in his image” and giving them “dominion” over all He had made (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 1:26, 28). Humanity is further extended the privilege to name God’s creatures (cf. Genesis 2:19-20), a sign of our dignity and responsibility to be co-creators with God as stewards of His unfolding creation. As the Psalmist exults, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You have made him a little less than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands and placed everything under his feet” (Psalm 8:5-7).

Sin and addiction represent a distortion, if not an outright rejection, of our God-given dignity and duty to be virtuous stewards entrusted with bringing about God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in Heaven” (“Our Father Prayer”). We try to overthrow the “owner” of our being. We selfishly take “possession” of our lives, our relationships, and the time, treasure, and talent we have been given and abuse them all for our own self-seeking pleasure and purposes. We rage in our pride and spiritually “forget” who God is and who we are and how we should properly relate to one another as Creator and creature, Master and servant, King and steward. The program of recovery—as a path of conversion in union with Christ’s sacramental healing—is how we reclaim our role and dignity as God’s stewards. As Saint Peter wrote, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10). And as Jesus Himself said, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (Luke 12:48b).

 

Reflection Questions

  • Have you ever thought of your recovery from addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments in terms of exercising good stewardship? How do the Twelve Steps teach you to be an effective and devoted “manager” of your life, your relationships, and your time, treasure, and talents?
  • Share examples of how your life in addiction represented a distortion or rejection of the dignity and duty to be a good steward. Has recovery taught you that the essential meaning of life and the purpose of conversion is to embody wise and loving stewardship?

 

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Genesis 1:20-2:4a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Gospel: Mark 7:1-13

Reflection by Pete S.