Mark 10:28-31
Each year in the fall, my pastor would pick one Sunday to give his financial report to the parish. As part of this he would invite ordinary parishioners to step up to the podium and give a short speech on tithing. Many people are familiar with the term but not so much in a Catholic church. Shrewd business man that he was, the pastor asked us to give only 5%, or half the tithe. He reckoned that we already give 5% in other ways to myriad causes. Even so, he did not ask that you give even 5%, simply try to give 5% or make supporting the church a part of your household budget instead of dollaring. Dollaring is that system where you simply reach in you pocket for a spare dollar or change as the collection basket comes by. The pastor asked for some thought and commitment. That's really all he asked for. We were a parish rich beyond measure on any yardstick you choose to use.
Many people give as a sort of insurance policy. If they give to God, all should go right in their lives. I suppose simply going to church or the act of believing could be looked at the same way. We believe so that we will get eternal reward. What would we be guaranteed based on this passage?
When you are willing to give up anything for yourself, to be yourself, to accept God's design for yourself, you have richness beyond measure. Th person who finds themselves is the happiest of all. They are doing what that they are supposed to be doing, they are themselves free and happy. Is seems the sixties were a testament to this type of search, people were trying to "find themselves". In many ways people are still searching but the goal is to find inner peace and happiness. You find that through acceptance of who you are as a creation of God. Once you live as yourself for others you have happiness beyond measure, wealth beyond measure.
Most gay people know this journey, this truth, very well. When a gay person accepts who they are and realizes they are good, loving creatures of God they may wind up having to give up all they knew. Family, friends, church all can vanish with the simple utterance of "I am gay". It should not be that way but it often is. I use it simply to note a parallel between being gay and faithful. You may loose everything but you will gain everything. Those that leave you are gained a hundredfold in people that welcome you and love you. Most important of all is that you love yourself. This is true richness and true happiness.
Whether you are gay or straight, no matter who you are, acceptance of self and acceptance of your loving relationship to God is true happiness.
Each year in the fall, my pastor would pick one Sunday to give his financial report to the parish. As part of this he would invite ordinary parishioners to step up to the podium and give a short speech on tithing. Many people are familiar with the term but not so much in a Catholic church. Shrewd business man that he was, the pastor asked us to give only 5%, or half the tithe. He reckoned that we already give 5% in other ways to myriad causes. Even so, he did not ask that you give even 5%, simply try to give 5% or make supporting the church a part of your household budget instead of dollaring. Dollaring is that system where you simply reach in you pocket for a spare dollar or change as the collection basket comes by. The pastor asked for some thought and commitment. That's really all he asked for. We were a parish rich beyond measure on any yardstick you choose to use.
Many people give as a sort of insurance policy. If they give to God, all should go right in their lives. I suppose simply going to church or the act of believing could be looked at the same way. We believe so that we will get eternal reward. What would we be guaranteed based on this passage?
When you are willing to give up anything for yourself, to be yourself, to accept God's design for yourself, you have richness beyond measure. Th person who finds themselves is the happiest of all. They are doing what that they are supposed to be doing, they are themselves free and happy. Is seems the sixties were a testament to this type of search, people were trying to "find themselves". In many ways people are still searching but the goal is to find inner peace and happiness. You find that through acceptance of who you are as a creation of God. Once you live as yourself for others you have happiness beyond measure, wealth beyond measure.
Most gay people know this journey, this truth, very well. When a gay person accepts who they are and realizes they are good, loving creatures of God they may wind up having to give up all they knew. Family, friends, church all can vanish with the simple utterance of "I am gay". It should not be that way but it often is. I use it simply to note a parallel between being gay and faithful. You may loose everything but you will gain everything. Those that leave you are gained a hundredfold in people that welcome you and love you. Most important of all is that you love yourself. This is true richness and true happiness.
Whether you are gay or straight, no matter who you are, acceptance of self and acceptance of your loving relationship to God is true happiness.
Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’
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