Stewardship expresses a basic attitude of gratitude to God for God's many gifts to us and the trust we have in God as the ultimate source of our security.
As stewards we are called to use these gifts to further God's creative and redemptive purposes; as stewards we use God's gifts for God's purposes.
God's creative and redemptive purposes are most fully revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of God's son, Jesus. The basic pattern of Jesus' work is found in the paschal mystery. It is a pattern of giving life for the sake of others, and in the giving, finding life more fully realized for ourselves and for those to whom we give.
The Church is a gathering of disciples who nurture and encourage one another in discipleship. The practice of discipleship in and through the Church is one of the primary ways we are called to follow Jesus. It is the whole Church, the Body of Christ that is responsible for carrying on the work of Christ in the world today.
Our sharing in the Paschal mystery of Jesus brings us to the notion of sacrifice as a sign of gratitude, praise and trust in God. Sacrifice means giving from our substance — so we are changed by our giving.