Being stewards of God’s gift of forgiveness
Central to the unique human and Christian vocations each individual receives from God is the call to be good stewards of those gifts. Stewardship is an expression of the discipleship called for by baptism. Disciples who practice stewardship recognize God as the origin of life, the giver of freedom, the source of all they have, are, and will be. They know themselves to be recipients and caretakers of God’s many gifts. They are grateful for what they have received and eager to cultivate their gifts out of love for God and one another. Among the many responses of the grateful steward is prayer. The prayer of blessing and adoration is a dialogue in which one’s prayer ascends in acknowledgement and acceptance of the gifts God has already given that descend to humanity. The gifts are recognized as such and the one who prays acknowledges in humility that he or she is a creature before the Creator.If we have received God’s gift of forgiveness then we have a responsibility to be stewards of that gift just as much as we are of any other gift. As Christian disciples we too must be people of forgiveness and people who carry out a ministry of reconciliation. In the fifth Beatitude, Jesus Christ teaches that God's mercy can penetrate the hearts of all people, allowing them to forgive their enemies through the example and help of Christ. As St. Paul wrote in his second letter to the Christian community in Corinth, “And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20a).
So God’s gift of forgiveness is not to be hoarded, but to be shared by generous Christian stewards.
Reflection Question
In what way do you feel yourself being called, as a disciple of Jesus Christ who has already been given God’s gift of forgiveness, to be a joyful steward of that gift and to be a forgiving and reconciling person?
Scripture to Explore
1 Corinthians 5
Additional References
Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 1847, 2626, 2840, 2862
United States Catholic Catechism for Adults pp. 242-243, 450-454, 488
Catechetical Framework for Lifelong Faith Formation MA.2.4.5, MA.3.2.34, MA.4.2.6, MA.5.2.3, MA.6.2.1
Resource for Adult Faith Formation
Prepared for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Distributed courtesy of the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL)
© Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright holder.
Permission is hereby granted to all (arch)dioceses, parishes, Catholic schools, and other ecclesial entities to reproduce this document in whole or in part, in whatever form is most expedient, for the purposes of catechizing the People of God, provided that the copyright information on this page is included in its entirety. This grant does not diminish the rights reserved hereunder.
