Before I Forget…

The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow.
The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome.
The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve.
The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend.
The beauty of life is to give. The joy of life is to love.

-William Arthur Ward

I have to be honest with you. When I'm driving down a residential street and see a sign that says "FREE," I am    often tempted to stop.  You never know what you might find.  There was a huge sofa on the sidewalk in front of a home.  The owner probably took it to the curb for trash  collection.  Since the sofa was in good shape, a lot of people slowed down to take a closer look.  But when they saw how big it was, they kept on driving.  Two guys in a compact car stopped and got out.  They removed all the cushions, turned the sofa upside down, and shook it hard.  Then they picked up all the coins that fell out of the sofa got back into the car and drove off.  Why didn't I think of that?  Be on the look out for sofas on the curb!  Would you then give the Lord 10% off the top?   
In a few weeks, our country will stop everything to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Have Americans become too stressed and too greedy to thank God for all the blessings in our lives?  What do you think:  Are we truly a grateful country?  In the time of Jesus, people were required to return the first and best portion of all they gained to God. It was not theirs to keep:  it belonged to God.  In our lives in 2003, what belongs to God and the work of God?  The     Jewish people were asked to give 10% to God, to charity.  Do you think, do I think, that 10% is too much to give away?  Jesus came from the 10% tradition.  What does Jesus ask of you and me of our time, talents, and treasure?  Will our children learn to share their time, talents, and treasure for the work of God's reign?  What are we thankful for this Thanksgiving?  What can we return to God?  How do we express our gratitude? 
As your pastor, when I ask you to be generous for the work of the Gospel, it's not about me, but keeping the treasure of our Catholic faith alive.  We are Catholic Christians who follow a different path than non-believers.  It is a road less traveled, especially in our times.  By our

baptism into the life of Christ, we are called to live differently.  We are called to make God the Creator, Jesus Christ and His gospel, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the center of our lives.  We believe that everything belongs to God and that all the blessings in our lives come from God.  I believe that everything I am and that I have is a gift of God.  Don't you?  It's difficult to be a Christian in a culture that emphasizes the self-made person, and that the more money and possessions one has makes a person more important.  According to Jesus, all of us are the same in the eyes of God.  Jesus calls us to share everything, to serve the least among us, and to worship God together as a community.  Individualism and materialism is not the way of the Christian community.  Yes, everyone, no matter what their circumstances, are called to share, to serve, and to  worship. 
It takes an act of faith to support the parish and the  different charities that are important to each of us.  It is easy to believe that our circumstances are different than other parishioners.  I can't give because:  I'm retired/I'm sending my kids to "private school"/I'm on a fixed income/I just bought a house/I'm saving for my wedding/I'm helping my kids make ends meet/I'm angry at the Catholic Church because of the sexual abuse scandal/I don't like the pastor.
Where do our blessings come from?  Has God been good to you?  How do we help keep the "Good News" of Jesus important in our culture?  If every household in the parish was on welfare and gave just 5% (a nickel on every dollar we received), we would be in great shape.
During the Great Depression, there was a song:   "Brother, can you spare a dime?"  Can you spare, give,   sacrifice for the work of God?  Read Mark's Gospel, chapter 12, verses 38 - 44, and tell the Lord what you will give.

Fr. Bill