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The 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
But as I reflected, I found a deeper connection than the number seven. Both readings are about resurrection: belief or unbelief in resurrection--in a life beyond this one. And both raise an important question: how we are to view and value things in this life in light of the life yet to come? That can be an uncomfortable question: uncomfortable, because it’s so easy to live our lives by the gospel of this life only, the gospel of the here and now, the gospel of me and my comfort, of more is better: more money, more things, more gadgets, more creature comforts, more security for my future. Always more. Always me. Our Christian faith rises or falls on our belief that this world, while good and blessed and a gift from God, is not God’s ultimate gift to us. As St. Paul reminds us, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor can we even begin to imagine what God still has in store for us. It’s a reminder we need. It puts things in perspective. And it’s a good lead into talking to you about your support of the parish. But let me be honest: it’s difficult, during a time of a protracted economic downturn when some of you are out of work and many of you have suffered -- and continue to suffer -- significant financial setbacks, to talk to you about your giving. Many of you have shared your stories and your challenges with me, and the last thing I want is to come across as insensitive or out-of-touch. So, it is difficult, but I feel a certain confidence about my task. Let me tell you why. I feel confident because you are people of faith and you care about what’s really important in life. I feel confident because you know where your blessings come from – not from yourselves but from God, and that what you have is entrusted to you by God, not to be hoarded or hidden away, but to be used wisely and shared generously. I feel confident because I have the advantage of having known you for a long time -- some of you for well over 20 years now -- and I know that you love this Cathedral and this parish and that you want it to continue to be a beacon on this hill and a welcoming home to everyone who comes here. I feel confident to ask you to renew your annual sacrificial giving pledge -- or to make a pledge this year for the first time -- because I believe that if God has blessed you with considerable financial resources, you will want to share them, and that if God has not so blessed you, you will still find a way to give from your want, from your poverty, like the poor widow of the gospel. My friends, these are hard times for many of you, and they are hard times for our parish, too. As the government cuts back on social services, we all know that it’s the poor who are especially hard hit, and more and more of them turn to us for help. They come to us for food, for shelter, for a handout; they come to us to learn a new language in a new land and to adjust to a new culture; they come to us for companionship, counsel, guidance and encouragement. Thanks to the generosity of many of you -- and not just your generous gift of money, but your time and talent, too -- we are able to be there for these people in all kinds of ways. But we are falling behind. Over the past several years, while demand has increased and our expenses have grown, our income has remained relatively stagnant. Were it not for some generous bequests, we would never have gotten by. But it’s pretty chancy to count on bequests! This year, we are facing a very large deficit, and you know as well as I that there are only two ways to deal with this: we can cut programs – which really means cutting staff because nearly all our great programs, while rich in volunteers, are planned by staff, organized by staff, and led by staff. We have a great staff, as you know, and they work overtime, but I can assure you that they aren’t overpaid! Cutting staff would mean diminishing who we are as a parish and what we do here. But it is one solution. The other is for those of us who can, to step forward and increase our Sunday giving -- increase it significantly, if possible; and for those of us who have been token or casual givers -- and this is a number too large to count -- to become sacrificial givers! If this happens we will resolve our deficit problem. This is heavy stuff! Do I dare attempt a little humor at this point? I’ll chance it. A priest got up in the pulpit one Sunday and told his people: I’ve got good news for you and bad. The good news is that we have more than enough money to meet our needs. The bad news is that it’s still in your pockets! My friends, all humor aside, I need to be very frank with you -- frank about my deep concern that while many of you have gotten the sacrificial giving message and taken it to heart, too many have not. And I’m not talking about people on modest, fixed incomes who are understandably limited in what they can give. I’m talking about people who are doing reasonably well financially -- or even very well -- yet who continue to give at the same level they’ve given for years -- a level that really isn’t sacrificial and sometimes borders on the token. I have no way of knowing who you are, but you do, and to you I am making this very direct and earnest request: please search your hearts and your consciences to see whether a dollar or two or a casual check thrown in the basket is truly sacrificial or in any sense proportionate to what you spend on other things. Does your contribution reflect the value you place on your faith and on this community? Some years ago I received a letter from a parishioner in which he enclosed a sizeable check to assist with our cathedral outreach ministries. His letter was brief. “I used to think this was my money,” he wrote, “but no longer. It’s God’s. And God’s money needs to be used for God’s work.” He concluded with a P.S.: “No acknowledgment is necessary. I try not to let the left hand know what the right hand is doing.” I remember thinking to myself, now there’s someone who understands what sacrificial giving is all about! Sacrificial giving means giving in faith – and it is not so much about the amount as it is about the sacrifice. If it costs you to give -- really costs you -- then your gift will be worthy of you and, more importantly, it will be worthy to be offered to God, because that’s what your gift is: it’s your offering to God. Why else would we carry it to the altar along with the bread and wine at Mass? It’s a sacred thing and a serious thing. My friends, all the things you love about this great parish depend on your generosity: beginning with this beautiful Cathedral itself, the glorious liturgies, the music, the Sunday school classes for our kids, the Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and marriage preparation programs, the RCIA program, Welcome Back, all the adult education classes, the incredible outreach programs including the Cathedral Kitchen, the homeless shelter, the ESL program, the Solanus Casey Center, the outreach programs to the elderly and homebound, and so many more. If you go over to Cathedral Hall after Mass, you will see for yourself all the ministries you make possible by your donations and your volunteering. It’s pretty incredible! And I don’t think you want any of it to stop. In fact, there are so many more things we could and really should be doing, as we are learning from the survey that several hundred of you recently filled out! Dear friends, it’s in your hands. It’s in the
hands of all of us. God has put it there. It’s a good thing we are
doing here at St. James. A great thing. And with God’s help and yours – we
will keep doing it! Father Michael G. Ryan |
