A Catholic Way to Handle Personal Finances: Stewardship
Last time we ended our introduction to a Catholic way to handle personal finances by considering this:
Whether we make a lot or a little, whether we have a lot or a little, we should consider money and the things it buys as belonging to God. We're just the temporary custodians. And as such, we have an obligation to treat what's given to us by God as good stewards.
What is a steward? Definition: a person whose responsibility it is to take care of something. An example of this: Farmer's pride themselves on being stewards of the countryside.
This is the definition of a steward that fits into our discussion best. With this in mind, let's look at how stewardship can shape a Catholic understanding of money and possessions.
Separate Yourself
Recalling the story from our last post about that guy I once worked with, I think a deeper understanding of stewardship might have helped him make the time that was necessary to prudently plan. I sensed that he almost felt guilty about spending any kind of quality time on his finances. Maybe he thought money shouldn't be the center of his life. If so, he was right. It shouldn't. But that doesn't mean we should ignore it. As stewards, we should see to it that our money is put to good use. That takes some time and attention. We're not being responsible stewards if we don't give our finances the time and attention they deserve.
Still, we may feel we don't want to spend too much time thinking about how much we make, or about our possessions. If so, it's a good instinct.
I'm speaking from personal experience here. Remember, I think about other people's money and possessions for a living. In doing so, I've been aware of the tendency many professionals have to be negligent about their own situations. For example, I can't tell you how many lawyers Ive met who don't have wills - even those who draft wills for a living. Similarly, I've worked with many financial professionals whose personal finances were a shambles. Out of a sense of obligation to my family, I never wanted to be one of those.
But that left me with a dilemma. Between attending to my clients and caring for my family, I spend lots of time reading, researching, analyzing, talking about financial matters. Over time, I thought it got to be too much. What to do?
Well, if you've read this blog over time, you know that we've many times discussed the importance of being organized. Over time, I've steadily "corralled" my work into defined chunks of time, getting a lot more done in a lot less time. In the same way, I've managed to limit the time needed to responsibly and prudently manage our family's finances. Limiting activities related to managing family finances is a good start; but it's just as important to limit your attachment.
I don't want to be unduly attached to my money and possessions. This is where the concept of stewardship shines.
The idea of stewardship helps us to separate ourselves from our money and possessions. Believing that we are stewards of our possessions automatically imposes some distance from our money and all it buys, i.e., our possessions. That distance loosens our grip on our money; and in so doing, it loosens our money's grip on us.
When we're in money's grip, it's a small step to becoming covetous. That's when we desire what someone else has. If money's so important, we typically want more. In its worse iteration, we see what others make, what others have, and we want that. That's no way to live. It can even be a sinful way to live. Ecclesiasticus 14 explains:
"The eye of the covetous man is insatiable in his portion of iniquity: he will not be satisfied till he consume his own soul, drying it up."
A scary thought, isn't it?
Don't go there. Be a steward.
Whether we make a lot or a little, whether we have a lot or a little, we should consider money and the things it buys as belonging to God. We're just the temporary custodians. And as such, we have an obligation to treat what's given to us by God as good stewards.
What is a steward? Definition: a person whose responsibility it is to take care of something. An example of this: Farmer's pride themselves on being stewards of the countryside.
This is the definition of a steward that fits into our discussion best. With this in mind, let's look at how stewardship can shape a Catholic understanding of money and possessions.
Separate Yourself
Recalling the story from our last post about that guy I once worked with, I think a deeper understanding of stewardship might have helped him make the time that was necessary to prudently plan. I sensed that he almost felt guilty about spending any kind of quality time on his finances. Maybe he thought money shouldn't be the center of his life. If so, he was right. It shouldn't. But that doesn't mean we should ignore it. As stewards, we should see to it that our money is put to good use. That takes some time and attention. We're not being responsible stewards if we don't give our finances the time and attention they deserve.
Still, we may feel we don't want to spend too much time thinking about how much we make, or about our possessions. If so, it's a good instinct.
I'm speaking from personal experience here. Remember, I think about other people's money and possessions for a living. In doing so, I've been aware of the tendency many professionals have to be negligent about their own situations. For example, I can't tell you how many lawyers Ive met who don't have wills - even those who draft wills for a living. Similarly, I've worked with many financial professionals whose personal finances were a shambles. Out of a sense of obligation to my family, I never wanted to be one of those.
But that left me with a dilemma. Between attending to my clients and caring for my family, I spend lots of time reading, researching, analyzing, talking about financial matters. Over time, I thought it got to be too much. What to do?
Well, if you've read this blog over time, you know that we've many times discussed the importance of being organized. Over time, I've steadily "corralled" my work into defined chunks of time, getting a lot more done in a lot less time. In the same way, I've managed to limit the time needed to responsibly and prudently manage our family's finances. Limiting activities related to managing family finances is a good start; but it's just as important to limit your attachment.
I don't want to be unduly attached to my money and possessions. This is where the concept of stewardship shines.
The idea of stewardship helps us to separate ourselves from our money and possessions. Believing that we are stewards of our possessions automatically imposes some distance from our money and all it buys, i.e., our possessions. That distance loosens our grip on our money; and in so doing, it loosens our money's grip on us.
When we're in money's grip, it's a small step to becoming covetous. That's when we desire what someone else has. If money's so important, we typically want more. In its worse iteration, we see what others make, what others have, and we want that. That's no way to live. It can even be a sinful way to live. Ecclesiasticus 14 explains:
"The eye of the covetous man is insatiable in his portion of iniquity: he will not be satisfied till he consume his own soul, drying it up."
A scary thought, isn't it?
Don't go there. Be a steward.
Comments