Stewardship
When I was a little boy, I used to play priest (romo-romoan; in some places in Indonesia we call a priest Romo). I would cover a table with cloth and then I would invite my little sister and friends. We would use tea and Marie biscuits to represent the bread and wine. Everyone would wish it was communion time already. In other occasions we played also pasar-pasaran (pasar: market) or rumah-rumahan (rumah: house). This got me thinking: why do we call it rumah-rumahan, romo-romoan, pasar-pasaran, or dokter-dokteran? Because after the play, there is no longer any house. After the play I am no longer a priest. After the play there is no longer any market. After the play one no longer is a doctor. It is only temporary, not forever. It reminds us that all our possessions are also temporary. Everything that we have is given and we cannot hold on to them forever. Even the very life we have is simply a gift. Time will come when we have to turn it over to the Lord of Life.
The parable of the Tenants reminds us of the Christian meaning of stewardship. God is the source of everything that we have and are. The Gospel reminded us, “Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
God expects us to be fruitful with the gifts He has given us. When we come face to face with the Lord, He will ask us how much we have used all that He has given us. What do we bring with us before the Lord?
There was a dying man who told his wife, “When I die, I want you to put all my money in my coffin. I want to bring all of them with me.” The wife took all of the man’s money, deposited it in her bank account, issued the man a cheque and put it in the man’s coffin.
When a man dies his palms remain open. No one dies with pal closed. We bring nothing with us when we die. The only thing we can bring with us are the seeds of goodness we have planted in our hearts and in the heart of others. What would you bring with you when that time comes?
