On Stewardship....
By Fr. Peter Fernandes, sfx

It is vital to have good stewards for the well-being of the household and the community at large. They execute an important responsibility for the smooth running of society or a firm. If they fail to carry out their duty in a worthy manner, the ripple effects are seen everywhere. This is ordinary knowledge, which we experience day in and day out.

When God created the world, He made men the stewards of his creation. How have we executed this role throughout history? Times past and present speak volumes of our success and failure. There are several edifying figures in our history, who worked tirelessly for the wellbeing of the society and to enhance nature. Today, there are many people who follow in the footsteps of those noble souls to be good stewards.

Our greatest tragedy is the failure of the majority of the people to implement responsibly the task of being the good stewards. The disparity between the rich and the poor is glaring; the same with the nations. No one should go hungry, yet millions die of starvation every year, because we failed in out duty to share the resources equally.

Global warming is being triggered by human greed and selfishness, which threatens our very existence. God trusted the humans, and made us the stewards of His creation. Now, how should we present the accounts of our actions? Should we place before Him all our nuclear weapons, saying: "This is our gift to you!" We produced this masterpiece by letting millions go hungry. These weapons could be used to clear the rest without mercy. What a tragedy!

Should God continue to trust humankind, and entrust His creation in our defiled hands? Jesus came into the world to set men right once again with God, our Creator. He spoke of love of God and love of neighbor, with all our strength, heart, mind and soul. Instead of listening to God's beloved Son and amending our ways, we crucified Him. Could we say that we are good stewards?

Let us repent with sincere sorrow, and take the responsibility seriously to enhance the creation of God as good stewards, and share the resources with the whole of humanity.