Pastor's Page: "For Where Your Treasure Is, There Your
Heart Will Be Also." (Luke 12. 34)
November 14, 2010
When I was a boy, my mother spent a great deal of time at our church, St. Dominic in Oyster Bay. There were no lectors or Eucharistic ministers in the 1950s, before the Vatican Council. But there were organizations like the Holy Name Society, which attracted my dad, and the Legion of Mary that drew my mother's time and energy. The real conflicts from my dad however came during and after the second Vatican Council. My mother became involved as a catechist, taking the basic course in theology offered by the diocese, and as the years continued she ministered on the liturgy committee, adult formation committee and became a lector at mass. As the Council unfolded from 1960 to 1965, I can remember my dad and mom arguing over the amount of time she spent ministering in the parish. Dad: "Joan, I think you love Jesus more than you love me!" Mom: “That's right, Jim!"
Eventually my dad too became involved actively in ministry as a lector.
I know my mother and father contributed to the parish weekly Mass in the offertory, using the envelopes that were provided. Although I never knew how much money they were placing in the envelopes.
Using money to support the works of the Church; liturgy, faith formation, outreach, Catholic schools, maintenance and administration of the buildings and grounds - honors God.
Giving to God is about making God our top priority, effectively turning our lives around.
So many concerns demand our attention. Giving directly to God financially, is pushed to the background. Too often, God gets the leftovers at the end of the week.
A priest friend, whose dad worked in the restaurant business and waited on tables, always gave a generous tip whenever we ate out together. He understood from personal experience how important it is to receive a good tip if a decent standard of living would be maintained for the family of the waiter or waitress.
He was never cheap in his tipping. He saw 20% as the minimum.
The biblical tithe is a gift to God of the first 10% of the harvest. Most of us fall far short of that biblical ideal. We would not be lacking generosity to express our thanks for a good meal in a restaurant. But we can fall into the trap of lacking generosity in expressing our gratitude to God who gave us everything we have!
Fear may be our worst enemy when it comes to giving. In place of fear, the Lord tells us that trust in God and patient endurance will help us through all situations. While we need to be prudent in the amount of money that we donate to charity, we also need to take a leap of faith, trusting that God will provide for us.
Peace,
Father Bruce
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