Sharing Our Gifts
The response a steward makes that embodies loving our neighbor is to share God's gifts justly and charitably. This step recognizes that God does not entrust a gift to a steward for that person's exclusive use, but for the common good. God gives us gifts so that they may be shared with—and perhaps entrusted to—others. The Old Testament, Gospels, and Epistles all encourage sharing resources rather than storing up what one does not need. (For example: Ex. 16:19-21; Mal. 3:5-12; Mt. 6:19-21; Lk. 12:15-21; 2 Cor. 9:5-14; 1 Tim. 6:17-18.) This step argues against a view that disparities in wealth distribution are divinely ordained, pointing to the Sabbath and Jubilee directives of the Old Testament and the example of the early Christian communities, who held possessions in common.
This step makes a distinction between charity and justice. Charity means giving to those in need, but justice involves addressing the social sin that resulted in people being in need in the first place. In The Long Loneliness, Dorothy Day writes about her disappointment in the action of some priests:
This step makes a distinction between charity and justice. Charity means giving to those in need, but justice involves addressing the social sin that resulted in people being in need in the first place. In The Long Loneliness, Dorothy Day writes about her disappointment in the action of some priests:
The scandal of businesslike priests, of collective wealth, the lack of sense of responsibility, the poor, the worker, the [minority], and even the oppression of these, and the consenting of the oppression of them by our industrialist-capitalist order—there was plenty of charity, but too little justice."
Theologian Doug Meeks argues that the stewardship practiced in most North American churches is still largely influenced by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who believed wealth production followed natural laws such as survival of the fittest:
Carnegie said that Christian faith has to do with charity, and charity does not extend to the questions of economics. Thus we have the basic understanding of stewardship in most old line and many new churches in North America—the voluntary giving of leftover money and time.— if we use American philanthropy in the Church we can usually get—about 1.7%. This is a lot of money—. But American philanthropy is not biblical stewardship.
This distinction can also be understood as the difference between philanthropy and discipleship, where the latter is rooted in relationship with Jesus, call, community, and justice. Giving charitably can be misused as a means for alleviating guilt about participating in the injustice one was trying to address.
Sharing God's gifts justly also has relational implications. The authors of Habits of the Heart note that in addition to feeling good about oneself, part of the reward for socially responsible giving can be an emotional investment "that enfolds and somehow makes meaningful a tremendous amount of pain, frustration, and indeed loneliness." These are some of the consequences of being willing to love and be vulnerable. They further identify the virtue "generosity of spirit" as
Sharing God's gifts justly also has relational implications. The authors of Habits of the Heart note that in addition to feeling good about oneself, part of the reward for socially responsible giving can be an emotional investment "that enfolds and somehow makes meaningful a tremendous amount of pain, frustration, and indeed loneliness." These are some of the consequences of being willing to love and be vulnerable. They further identify the virtue "generosity of spirit" as
the ability to acknowledge an interconnectedness—one's "debts to society"—that binds one to others whether one wants to accept it or not. It is also the ability to engage in the caring that nurtures that interconnectedness.
As God's children we are called to be in right relationship with each other (particularly those most in need), and a motivation for giving should be to improve these relationships. Realizing how broken these relationships may be to begin with—often as a result of social sin—can be a painful experience.
All forms of giving do not necessarily strengthen relationships. Well-intentioned giving without the challenge of justice usually retains some aspect of hierarchy or status: a noble giver to a needy recipient. Maureen R. O'Brien writes:
All forms of giving do not necessarily strengthen relationships. Well-intentioned giving without the challenge of justice usually retains some aspect of hierarchy or status: a noble giver to a needy recipient. Maureen R. O'Brien writes:
Much "Christian service" is rooted in a charity model which, while proceeding from a language of neighbor love, is also practiced by people who are committed to maintaining a dichotomy both between themselves and the objects of their charity, and between this "public" activity and the undisturbed "private" dimensions of their lives. [Maureen R. O'Brien, "The Public Church as a Model for Religious Education," Religious Education 88, No. 6 (Summer 1993), 394.]
Catholic social teaching advocates a preferential option for the poor, but it also emphasizes human dignity and solidarity. These principles suggest that the relationship between two people sharing in God's gifts should be characterized by mutual respect and equality. Both should be open to receiving from and giving to the other. This is, of course, much more dangerous than giving to an anonymous recipient because our heart becomes involved. This is how Jesus lived his ministry, meeting with the poor and outcasts and the rich and powerful. He got to know them all, often over a meal, and he loved them all. As Paul reminds us, "If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing" (1 Cor. 13:3).
Quotations
For it is in giving that we receive. Prayer of Saint Francis
Saint Francis of Assisi |