Stewardship as Love of Neighbor

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.” (Acts 4:32)

What stands out first is not the sharing of possessions, it’s the fact that the external sharing flows from an interior unity rooted in love. Luke is describing a community so transformed by Christ that self-interest loosens its grip and love becomes the organizing principle of life together. This is the same vision St. Benedict draws upon: when hearts are united in love of Christ, care for one another follows naturally. Possessions cease to be markers of status or control and become instruments of communion. In both Acts and the Rule, love is not sentimental but concrete—it reshapes how people relate, give, and belong to one another in Christ.

St. Benedict turns to the use of material goods and the care of daily needs, revealing that even ordinary possessions are part of the spiritual life. The cellarer is instructed to treat all goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar, and to care for the brothers with humility, kindness, and reverence. Benedict insists that needs differ from person to person, and that justice is not sameness but charity rightly applied. For oblates, these chapters speak to a Gospel simplicity that resists both entitlement and indifference. They echo the teaching of the Acts of the Apostles, where no one claimed anything as their own and each was given what they needed. Benedict shows that love of neighbor is lived through attentiveness to real, concrete needs, and that stewardship—whether of resources, time, or strength—is an expression of reverence for Christ present in one another.