Money Where My Mouth Is

This Sunday is the kick-off of our ADA (Annual Diocesan Appeal) drive.  I was going to spare you the details and just write about the Sunday readings, but I thought this might be a good time to look at the practical side of running a church and a diocese (jurisdiction of churches headed by a bishop).
Let's face it, the Church doesn't run on spirit alone- it does take money to keep it staffed and the lights on.  Priests need to eat, the staff needs to make a living, churches and rectories need maintenance and repair.  Religion (and life) ain't cheap!!
My pastor said that he realizes that our contributions do require some sacrifice from us, especially in these economic times.  Hey- my husband is making $40,000 less than he was last year, believe me, contributing to the Church isn't as easy as it used to be.  We do try to actually tithe: give 10% of our income, but there are times that is just too difficult.  We feel it's important to donate to the Church to show ourselves where our priorities lie.  We live as simply as we can, within our means, and we try to focus on spiritual growth, family, friends, and helping others.  The comfort our religion gives us is more important than other things we could be spending our money on, (although we have our little luxuries- don't get me wrong- we're not hermits!!) and so we make it a point to make regular donations to the Church and a couple of charities.  Have we scaled our donations back?  You bet!  Have we at times had to skip a donation or two because times were too tight?  Absolutely!  When times get better we will ramp our donations up accordingly, but for us the important thing is that we contribute to the upkeep and care of what is important to us.  Food for thought!

Follow Me?

Following seems such an easy thing to do these days.  We can follow complete strangers on Twitter with little to no risk- just click the Follow button and we get to read their thoughts and feelings.  We don't have to interact with them if we don't want to, and even if they ask us to do something- we can ignore their requests.
Following Jesus isn't so easy!  Sunday's Gospel (Mark 1:14-20) again deals with the disciples deciding to follow Jesus.  This time Jesus says, "Come after me..."   and the disciples go- no questions asked it seems.  Almost as easy as following someone on Twitter isn't it?  Except that the disciples had to leave everything they had- homes, families, friends, and follow a man who was controversial, radical, and challenged everything they knew.  Would we have gone so easily?
Do we take time to really think about what and who we're following today?  We may follow political parties, our friends, TV shows with ease, but when it comes to committing to following Jesus we balk.  What does truly following Jesus mean?
Read the lives of saints- the way is not easy, but it is spiritually rewarding.  God asks us to do what we can- and I think something we can all do is to really look at who and what we're following.  Are we better people for it?  I'm making my list right now- I have some thinking to do.

Good Year

It's a new year and a new liturgical season, so it's a great time to ponder the big questions: where am I going and what am I doing here?  This past Sunday's gospel (John 1:35- 42) touched on these questions when John, Andrew and Peter began to follow Jesus.  In other Gospels Jesus calls the disciples, "Come, follow me," but in John's Gospel these three disciples just started to follow Jesus as though they were compelled to be with Him.  Their hearts and souls recognized Jesus as God and Savior.
"I'm going with Jesus and I'm doing God's work." WGooouldn't it be wonderful to be able to give these answers simply and boldly?  Since most of us are not privileged to be able to directly converse with God, the best we can do is read the Bible, pray for guidance, and consult trusted advisors.  If we diligently do these things and listen for God's "still, small voice" in our hearts and souls, then it will be a good year indeed.