480 / 665
452 • Part III. Christian Morality: The Faith Lived
world but also the Kingdom of God, already present among us.
Work is a partnership with God—our share in a divine human
collaboration in creation. It occupies a central place in our lives
as Christian stewards.
Stewards of Vocation
Jesus calls us as his disciples to a new way of life—the Christian
way of life—of which stewardship is a part. But Jesus does not
call us as nameless people in a faceless crowd. He calls individu-
ally, by name. Each one of us—clergy, religious, layperson, mar-
ried, single, adult, child—has a personal vocation. God intends
each one of us to play a unique role in carrying out the divine
plan.
The challenge, then, is to understand our role—our voca-
tion—and to respond generously to this call fromGod. Christian
vocation entails the practice of stewardship. In addition, Christ
calls each of us to be stewards of our personal vocations, which
we receive from God.
Stewards of the Church
Stewards of God’s gifts are not passive beneficiaries. We coop-
erate with God in our own redemption and in the redemption
of others.
We are also obliged to be stewards of the Church, collabora-
tors and cooperators in continuing the redemptive work of Jesus
Christ, which is the Church’s essential mission. This mission—
proclaiming and teaching, serving and sanctifying—is our task.
It is the personal responsibility of each one of us as stewards of
the Church.
All members have their own roles to play in carrying out
this mission.
• Parents who nurture their children in the light of faith
• Parishioners who work in concrete ways to make their par-
ishes true communities of faith and vibrant sources of ser-
vice to the larger community
• All Catholics, who give generous support—time, money,
prayers, and personal service according to their circum-
stances—to parish and diocesan programs and to the
universal Church