Better to Give Than Receive
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On Friday, Dec. 11, I received a most peculiar package with a return address of Warrenton, VA. This is what the letter enclosed inside read:Dear Fr. Cook and Fr. Boyd,
We are writing to you as parishioners from St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Warrenton located in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia.
Just after the mandates for church to close due to the COVID-19 virus, our family began to faithfully attend Mass by livestream. My husband found your parish link and just after one Mass we made Christ the King Catholic Church our virtual parish!
Although we have long returned to our parish for Mass, on several occasions we’ve had to travel out of town and have been reticent to attend Mass in those locations. So we’ve happily returned to Mass again at Christ the King to celebrate with you! It was about two weeks ago when we heard your announcement for the need for little toiletry items for children in need (our monthly Heart Ministry Donation Sack Sunday). Our family and our children wanted to contribute a small collection of those items which our children shopped and paid for from their allowances. We hope it will help and feel connected to you and your parish in this way!
We will remember you and Christ the King Catholic Church in our prayers. God bless you abundantly.
My goodness! What unexpected kindness from afar! What a manifestation of the heart of Christmas! As you might see from the photo above, the box was filled with hygienic items and toiletries, donations for the Heart Ministry. I am always amazed at the generosity and thoughtfulness of people and especially for your support to the poor and disenfranchised in our community and to the parish itself.
To wherever the spirit of generosity inspires you and leads you, I thank you for your outstanding support to Christ the King through volunteerism and financial contributions this year. I know 2020 has been an unforgiving experience but through your generosity you have continued to lift up our parish, our school, and our many apostolates. We cannot operate without you. We cannot provide a Catholic education in our school and Family Faith Formation without you. We cannot provide for the needs of our poor and little ones without you.
That is why I humbly ask you to give to our parish. Our school runs an enormous deficit each year and for that we ask your assistance and participation. Our 2020-2021 “REAL GAP” Fund materials have been mailed to you and we are counting on your exceptional largess to help us bridge this “gap.” Our school cannot operate on tuition alone; it needs the additional help of tithing parishioners, both school families and non-school families.
What is tithing? Tithing comes from the word “ten’” or “tenth.” In Genesis 14:18–20, Abraham, after rescuing Lot, meets with the King of Salem and priest of the Most High God, Melchizedek. Melchizedek is a pre-figurement of Jesus Christ Himself, for Jesus is the true Prince of Peace (“salem” in Hebrew means “peace”) and the High Priest. Melchizedek brings out bread and wine, a foreshadowing of the Eucharist, and blesses Abraham. Afterwards, Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything he received from the spoils of battle.
As the year draws to a close, please consider your blessings, look over your income for the year, and give at least 10% of it away to Christ the King. That’s a bold request, I know, and very direct but we survive only because of your kind donations and we thrive because of your largess. Without everyone giving something, we cannot fulfill our mission. What’s more, school tuition does not count as tithing. For such fees a service is rendered, and tuition itself doesn’t cover but half of the actual cost it requires to educate a student in our five-day school. Tithing is what we give to the parish in the Sunday offering, without strings attached, because we are all one family and need each other.
If my suggestion is too bold, consider giving at least 5% of your annual income to the parish, 4% to charities, and 1% to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal. If that, too, seems too difficult, perhaps you can give at least $10 every week of the year to the collection plate; that’s the cost of just two gourmet coffees a week.
Many of you stay up at night, worrying over finances. As a spiritual father and pastor to this parish, I have the same anxieties. Cash fluidity is tight at Christ the King in this time of year yet we need to pay our employee’s salaries, cover our utilities, and maintain and even improve our facilities. God provides but only through your loving response. Thank you for your generosity over this last year and thank you in advance for your generous Christmas donations. May generosity reign in our hearts and in our world.
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You can easily donate to Christ the King online by going to our online giving portal: ctkomaha.org/giving
