Don’t Just Make A Living. Make A Life.

30 Apr

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
~ Winston Churchill

This past weekend at all the Masses, we have had parishioners come up to talk about the CSA (Catholic Services Appeal) that is taking place in our diocese at the present moment. This fund drive is an annual appeal. Last weekend, I spoke at all the Masses and asked people to consider making a pledge. This weekend was the parishioners’ turn.

All the parishioners who spoke did a fantastic job bringing the subject up to fellow parishioners in a way that invited them to give rather than browbeating them to do so. One of those who spoke, however, said something that left me thinking throughout the remainder of the day. He ended his presentation with the opening quote from Winston Churchill and I thought to myself, “There’s tomorrow’s reflection!”

We are all pretty hard-wired, are we not, to get and not to give. From the moment we can first grab something in our tiny hands and form the word “Mine!”, our lives of seeking begin. We desire so many things in life, tangible and intangible. Although our parents, grandparents, teachers, and others try to teach us about the value of giving, the opportunity to take usually is more pursued.

Getting, collecting, achieving, hoarding, or whatever word you might want to use does not necessarily mean that we have amounted to anything. It might just mean that we have become rich or that we have the most stuff. If we truly want to amount to something, we have to learn to give. There are so many ways to do so. We can give materially. Money and tangible goods are all ways to give materially. But, there are a myriad of intangible ways to give as well. Time, respect, consideration, care, and concern are just some of the intangible ways to give.

After we are gone, people are not going to be as prone to talking about all the things that we had in our lives. No. They will talk about how we gave to others. Let’s make sure we leave them plenty of talking points.

FAITH ACTION: Try not to be overly concerned with self today. Rather, look out for the welfare and benefit of those around you.