SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
20 FEBRUARY 2022
Saul had
been anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel. Unfortunately, Saul became consumed with
jealousy at the success of David, who had won the victory over Goliath, the
Philistine. The king was convinced that
David was trying to overthrow him. In
today’s first reading, David proves conclusively that the king is wrong. David demonstrates his respect for the Lord’s
anointed one when he refuses to kill his enemy, even though the king is trying
to kill him. Saul refuses to listen and
is killed in battle. David succeeds him
as king. Despite David’s flaws and sins,
he is remembered as Israel’s greatest king.
Jesus is
the descendent of David who has come to establish his Kingdom in our
midst. Unlike David, he has no flaws and
no sins. In establishing his kingdom, he
calls his disciples to a more radical love.
In the new Israel, disciples must go beyond the commands of the Law of
Moses to love their neighbors. We must
love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and
pray for those who mistreat us. In other
words, Jesus commands us to love as he will love us by giving himself on the
cross to show his love for us.
The Lord is
speaking directly to us. In the past few
years, we have suffered deep divisions in our families, in our parish, and even
in our school. With arguments over
masking, vaccinations, and other issues, COVID has put us even more on
edge. Sadly, within our different
communities, factions have evolved that have pitted us against each other as
enemies. Jesus tells us to be civil with
one another in our differences. We
cannot vilify or take revenge on those with whom we disagree. We cannot make fun of them. We cannot make up nicknames that offend
them. We must intensify our efforts to
love them, to do good to them, to bless them, and to pray for them.
His words
apply to us also as we renew our commitment to the Stewardship of Sacrificial
Giving. We can be tempted to attach
strings to our gifts. We can say that I
give my gift only if the ones receiving do what I want. Jesus assures us that generosity will be
returned to us in ways that we can never imagine.
Dan
McDonough has come to believe in the Stewardship of Sacrificial Giving. Please listen to his story, as you pray over
your own decision to share a generous portion of your treasure.
Stewardship of Sacrificial Giving
Hi, my name is Dan McDonough and I have a question I’d like
you ponder for a couple minutes. “Is it possible to out give God?” This summer
I will be married to my wife Jody for 34 years. We have two boys, Matt and Sam.
Although we have not been parishioners here for a long time, my parents have
been here over 30 years and we’ve often come to church with them over that
time. I learned about tithing at a very young age and got my first chance to
tithe as a teenager. At 19, I had my first commission sales job. I remember
praying to God way back then asking God to help me be successful in sales,
because the more I sold the more I could give. That started me on a lifelong
habit of sharing what I’ve been given. I enjoy giving and helping others. You
really do feel better when you are generous. I’ve been through several up and
down times in my adult life. Overall, I’m grateful for all God has blessed me
with. We’ve always tried to give, even when we had nothing. About 12 years ago,
we were facing possible bankruptcy. We had borrowed all we could, and I was not
sure what to do. Maybe we didn’t give much then, but we still gave from what
little we had. It was then that others were generous to us. It was humbling,
but I’m forever grateful for those that were there for us. Over the next four
years things gradually improved, and we dug our way out of the hole we were in.
We grow as Christians when we are tested and things are tough, not when things
are easy. I’ve heard countless stories about people who gave when they had little
to give, only to have been blessed with a gift later that dwarfed what they
gave. I’m not saying you will always be repaid financially, but in some way you
will. Even if it does not happen here. The ultimate gift we could receive would
be to spend eternity with God. I’ve not met too many people that like to talk
about money and tithing, especially Catholic pastors. It’s an uncomfortable
subject for most, but someone has to do it. A parish like St. Pius has lots of
expenses to keep all the many ministries, buildings and people in place to
serve the needs of its parishioners. St. Pius really offers so many ways to be
involved, but there is a cost to accomplish that. When it comes to ministries
in any parish, many people feel that someone else will step up, that they don’t
have time or the money to share. Matthew Kelly has said that 20 % of the people
in a parish give 80% of time, treasure and talents. I’d like to challenge
anyone who feels that they are probably not in the 20%, to do more. I know that
I can do more as well; we must push ourselves out of our comfort zones.
Remember this, it’s all God’s anyway, he’s just letting us use it while we are
here. We must be good shepherds of all we’ve been given. He is going to ask us
what we did to feed his children. For those who are not doing so, I strongly
encourage you to use the electronic giving format. It helps you assure that you
are giving consistently every week, even when you are out of town. It helps the
parish budget as well. Faith is what we need to rely on. Have faith that you
can give, and everything will be fine. God will not abandon you because you are
sharing what he gave you. I’m not sure that anyone could give like the widow
that gave the only two coins she had, but we are not being asked to do that
much. During our married life, we’ve been very involved in 4 parishes. I’ve
been on many CRHP teams, church committees, school boards, etc. Often, I would
think, I really don’t have time for all of this with as busy as I am. But
looking back, it helped us grow into who we are now. I promise you; we ALL
think we are too busy to get involved, and most of us are wrong in that
assessment. It’s amazing how it all works out, whether it’s giving of time,
talent or treasure. So, in closing I’d like to return to my original question.
“Is it possible to out give God?” I contend that the answer is obviously a
resounding NO. I’ve been saying for years, “You can’t out give God”. If you
only remember one thing I said, remember that. God Bless
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