TIME, TALENT, TREASURE. PUTTING GOD FIRST Parish Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Newark
	TIME	TALENT	TREASURE

April 26, 1999

Dear Parishioner,

The call to serve that Jesus issued 2,000 years ago along the dusty streets of Jerusalem remains just as valid in today's fast-paced world, where satellites, computers and the Internet link people and nations around the world. Despite living in a complex world, we have a simple mandate from Jesus the Christ: share the gifts God has given us.

We all know that Jesus summarized the Law of the Prophets into two great commandments: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with your whole mind...and...You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:37-39) He might well have whispered "be a good steward" in reply to the question, "Lord, what must I do to be saved?"

Stewardship is not a secular term. It is a way of life - a "life-principle" which will inspire an increase in spirituality which will touch every corner of our lives. The spirituality of Stewardship is a joyful one. It invites involvement as a "thanks-giving" to God for all God's wonderful gifts.

All we possess is a gift from God. Everything we have is freely given for our own good. This is basic to our faith and is often repeated throughout Scripture. Just as basic and repeated is another truth: we should return a portion of those gifts (our time, talent and treasure) to God in gratitude for the abundant generosity we have received. Saint Theresa's provides numerous opportunities to channel these gifts for the fulfillment of the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ.

As Christian stewards of God's gifts, we are accountable for the proper use of the time, talent and income we have received from our God. In the next few weeks, I ask you to prayerfully consider God's gifts to you, and then evaluate how you are sharing your gifts of time, talent and treasure within our parish community.

May God bless you for your continuing generosity as you share in Christ's call of service and love.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Joe
Reverend Joseph S. Bejgrowicz
Pastor

Saint Theresa's • 541 Washington Avenue • Kenilworth, NJ 07033