The call to stewardship is fundamentally  a call to discipleship and conversion. It is a call to follow Christ in the way we live our lives. The Pastoral Letter on Stewardship of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops asks us to receive God's gifts gratefully, tend these gifts in a responsible and accountable manner, share these gifts in justice and love with others, and to return them with increase to the Lord. Bishop Baker makes the same point in his letter for the annual Bishop's Stewardship Appeal: "Stewardship lies at the heart of our faith and moral life. We must constantly remind ourselves that what we own is only on loan from the Lord, that all is a gift from God, and that we are held accountable for the gifts God has given us for our use."

    Prayer is perhaps the most effective way for us to increase our faith and to bring us into closer communion with God. In his book The Climate of Monastic Prayer, Thomas Merton wrote, "Prayer then means yearning for the simple presence of God, for a personal understanding of his word, for knowledge of his will and for a capacity to hear and obey him." Our Bishop asks us to pray that we may become better stewards, to use our time, talents and treasure to serve God and our Church. It is through prayer that we may come to know God's will and, as Thomas Merton reminds us, it is prayer which brings God and man into communion with one another. As stewardship, in Bishop Baker's words,  "lies at the heart of our faith and moral life," we should use this Lenten season to ask God to help us increase our understanding of our vocations as Christian stewards. We should ask God to come into our hearts and give us the courage to follow Christ.

    The call to discipleship is not an easy one, but neither, with God's help is it impossible. The Bishops' Pastoral Letter says this about the cost and grace of discipleship: "It is costly because it requires a disciple for Jesus' sake to put aside craving for domination, possession and control, and grace because it confers true liberation and eternal life." As we prepare for the coming celebration of Our Lord's resurrection, we should all use the season of Lent to pray for God's assistance in helping us to take the difficult and challenging path of discipleship. God does not call us to take the easy path. St. Matthew's Gospel reminds us, " How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those that find it are few"(Mt.7, 14).

    Through prayer, and with God's help,  may we strive  to use this Lenten season to find a way to do a better job of using our time, talents and treasure to further Christ's work and the work of the Church in the world. Let us pray for the wisdom and strength to do as St. Paul urged in his Letter to the Romans:

    Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12, 6-8)