By Gretchen Keiser, Staff Writer

ATLANTA--The treasure in our lives is Jesus Christ.

Every other form of riches, whether it be money, personal talent or skill, education, knowledge or possessions, is of secondary importance. Like a seriously ill person who recovers good health, a Christian rejoices each day simply in the gift of life and breath.

Gratitude flows naturally. Being generous with one’s talents, spending time helping out another, giving away funds and possessions to people who need them, has already been inspired by god’s prior generosity to us.

There is no way to repay God’s love for us. But a full heart happily gives whatever it can.

This beautiful attitude is that of stewardship.

Each fall parishes and missions draw the attention of Catholics to their basic orientation in life: personal priorities of time, talent and treasure.

While the exact type of presentation may vary, each church draws the message from Scripture, both the Old and New Testament, and from the experiences of lay parishioners.

The Old Testaments teaches Christians to give the “first fruits” of each harvest to God. The New Testament contains parables like the widow’s mite and the parable of the talents, where each person is judged for the way he uses riches given him. Jesus praises the widow’s gift, not for its amount, but for her generosity. Likewise all those who utilize their talents are rewarded, regardless of their rate of return. Only the man who buried his talents is condemned.

A “technology of stewardship” has been fostered in parishes and missions of the archdiocese for a number of years, noted Msgr. Edward J. Dillon, vicar general.

This theology begins with giving as a response to God’s love. “We give not because the church needs to receive. We give because we need to give, in order to give thanks to God,” he said.

Because this is the theology, certain types of fundraising, like bingo, are not permitted in parishes. Instead people are encouraged to tithe, or give 10 percent of their income, to charitable causes. Included in the 10 percent are suggested gifts of 5 percent to the parish, 1 percent to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal and 4 percent to other charities of one’s choice.

Among other charities are second collections, which help many different programs and which people traditionally opt to support or not for personal reasons.

Tithing, a planned commitment to give a certain amount of support over the next year, is the opposite of a pattern many Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, have established in their lives.

Many people make all their other financial commitments first and then give what is left over to charity, with no planning and little awareness of how small the gift is.

“When people adopt a theology of stewardship, it raises their consciousness,” Msgr. Dillon commented. “Their involvement in and support of other causes increases.”

Scripture teaches that the generosity of God cannot be outdone, and many practitioners of tithing experience that truth in their own lives. “It really does seem whatever you give away comes back,” the Holy Spirit pastor said of his experience and that of his parishioners who give lay-witness talks.

“The difficulty is convincing people to make the leap of faith, to take that first step even if that first step is (deciding to donate) 1 percent or 2 percent of their income.”

“The purest form of stewardship is that God is supposed to be first. He is not supposed to be an afterthought.”

Parallel to the gift of financial support is the giving of one’s time and one’s talents to others. Many parishes provide members with dozens of opportunities to volunteer in a meaningful way either at the church itself or in the surrounding community.

“Stewardship of time and talent does not have to be confined to the church or the parish,” Msgr. Dillon noted, as many large communities find themselves with eager volunteers who cannot immediately be placed in an appropriate church ministry.

“It can be Habitat for Humanity or the Red Cross, volunteering at St. Joseph’s Hospital, the Cancer Home or Grady Hospital or with the Missionaries of Charity,” he said.

One time priority he emphasizes to parishioners is attending Catholic adult education courses that deepen their knowledge of church teaching, doctrine and dogma. This commitment “uses our God-given talent to learn more about God, to increase our knowledge of doctrine and to worship more truly.