As Christian stewards we are called to exercise this same discipline in our daily lives and like resolutions, to make changes that hopefully will be for a lifetime. I wonder if anyone made the conscious decision in one’s New Year planning to resolve to be a better Christian steward. I hope that many of us have either committed or recommitted to being the best stewards that we can possibly be during this time of new resolutions.

Often times we get sidetracked with the mistaken assumption as members of our parish that it is the sole obligation of the part of parish staff, the priest and others to serve our spiritual needs. While I would agree that helping parishioners strengthen their relationship with God is a vital part of the mission of the staff, it is unfair to suggest that these persons are the only ones obligated to helping us strengthen our relationship with God. I have had more than one discussion with people who believe that their parish staff has not adequately met their spiritual needs but upon further examination often find that these same people have not made the conscious decision to serve others as well as be served. Do we fall into this trap, expecting service from others without also choosing to use our God-given gifts to help serve the needs of others?

Take a minute to look around and you will undoubtedly find some real need in your parish, in your family, or in your neighborhood. Whose responsibility is it to address these needs? We often lament about all of the unmet needs that exist around us, but fail to realize that for every real need that exists among us, there are people who have been blessed with God-given gifts who can meet these needs. Each of us is challenged to discern our gifts and to seek to use these gifts where they are needed. We must continue to want to use these gifts as a sign of our gratitude for Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, not just to sit back and wait for someone else to decide what they believe our gifts are and then to ask us to help.

Christian discipleship is not necessarily easy and will sometimes make us question our level of commitment to being Jesus’ followers. Choosing to consciously follow this path will require sacrifice on the part of each of us. The sacrifice may be in giving of our free time in order to volunteer for ministry either in the parish or in the community. The sacrifice may be in choosing to use a talent to benefit someone else rather than hoarding it for no one else’s benefit. The sacrifice may also be in choosing to be more generous in sharing one’s gift of treasure to help meet these needs.

The beginning of another calendar year is an artificial beginning date that many of us use as the date to make a change, but we could just as well use January 25 as the beginning date for change. If we have not already done so, now would be a good time to evaluate our own understanding of what our Baptismal call to Christian discipleship means and perhaps to make a new resolution to be the best Christian steward we can be.