Fill Us With Your Love, O Lord, And We will Sing For Joy
Wisdom is a spiritual gift. We can possess it by life experience and the grace of God. The scriptures implore us to ask for this divine gift, for it is more valuable than precious metal which can tarnish or be stolen. Wisdom is more precious than any material thing. Attachment to material things, good though they may be, or even attachment to our own reputations and dreams, valuable though they may be, can become stumbling blocks to following Christ when he calls us in a given moment. This is illustrated in today’s gospel passage from St. Mark where a rich young man, a good man by almost any measure, is yet unable to follow Christ in the moment in which he is called. The gospel tells us that he had many possessions which held him back. In this sense the rich young man lacked the most important gift of all – wisdom.
We must ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom and then wait upon the Lord, who is the giver of all good gifts, to give it to us. This means having an open and attentive heart. It means having a heart for joy-filled sacrifice. It means learning to receive with gratitude and to give without a sense of loss. Let us remember that our possessions are but temporary tools we can use to care for ourselves and others, and that God loves a cheerful giver. Ask God to help us so that our possessions may not possess us, but rather we may use what we have for the greater glory of God!
Call to action: Advent and Christmas will be upon us soon. Many of your parishioners will be thinking (or should be invited to think) about their end of the year giving. In the non-profit world, the 4th quarter of the year is always the time when we see the greatest amount of giving. Use your GC Smart Tools to remind your parishioners of all the good done through the ministries of your community. Your parishes are “signs of the Kingdom,” for the poor are fed, the sick are visited, and the young are educated. Without your parishes your communities would be much poorer, not only materially, but spiritually, as well. By sharing what is good you help your parishioners to feel the joy of their own giving, and they can be invited to give just a bit more!
Pastoral Action Points
- Use your GC SmartTools to generate a simple “end of the year” report demonstrating all the good your parishes are doing. Use your GC Communications Portal to send it to everyone on your list. Spread the joy around!
- The First Week of Advent and Giving Tuesday will coincide this year. See them as complementary and plan accordingly. Contact teresa@givecentral.org at GiveCentral to get the tools to make it happen!
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Last modified: October 10, 2024
