This Year's Stewardship of Sacrificial Giving Witness Talk
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STEWARDHSIP OF SACRIFICIAL GIVING WITNESS TALK
PRESENTED BY: Dan McDonough
FEBRUARY 19/20, 2022
Hi, my name is Dan McDonough and I have a question I’d like you to ponder for a couple minutes. “Is it possible to out give God?”
This summer I will be married to my wife Jody for 34 years. We have two boys, Matt and Sam. Although we have not been parishioners here for a long time, my parents have been here over 30 years and we’ve often come to church with them over that time.
I learned about tithing at a very young age and got my first chance to tithe as a teenager. At 19, I had my first commission sales job. I remember praying to God way back then asking God to help me be successful in sales, because the more I sold the more I could give. That started me on a lifelong habit of sharing what I’ve been given. I enjoy giving and helping others. You really do feel better when you are generous.
I’ve been through several up and down times in my adult life. Overall, I’m grateful for all God has blessed me with. We’ve always tried to give, even when we had nothing. About 12 years ago, we were facing possible bankruptcy. We had borrowed all we could, and I was not sure what to do. Maybe we didn’t give much then, but we still gave from what little we had. It was then that others were generous to us. It was humbling, but I’m forever grateful for those that were there for us. Over the next four years things gradually improved, and we dug our way out of the hole we were in. We grow as Christians when we are tested and things are tough, not when things are easy.
I’ve heard countless stories about people who gave when they had little to give, only to have been blessed with a gift later that dwarfed what they gave. I’m not saying you will always be repaid financially, but in some way you will. Even if it does not happen here. The ultimate gift we could receive would be to spend eternity with God.
I’ve not met too many people that like to talk about money and tithing, especially Catholic pastors. It’s an uncomfortable subject for most, but someone has to do it. A parish like St. Pius has lots of expenses to keep all the many ministries, buildings and people in place to serve the needs of its parishioners. St. Pius really offers so many ways to be involved, but there is a cost to accomplish that. When it comes to ministries in any parish, many people feel that someone else will step up, that they don’t have time or the money to share. Matthew Kelly has said that 20 % of the people in a parish give 80% of time, treasure and talents. I’d like to challenge anyone who feels that they are probably not in the 20%, to do more. I know that I can do more as well; we must push ourselves out of our comfort zones. Remember this, it’s all God’s anyway, he’s just letting us use it while we are here. We must be good shepherds of all we’ve been given. He is going to ask us what we did to feed his children.
For those who are not doing so, I strongly encourage you to use the electronic giving format. It helps you assure that you are giving consistently every week, even when you are out of town. It helps the parish budget as well.
Faith is what we need to rely on. Have faith that you can give, and everything will be fine. God will not abandon you because you are sharing what he gave you. I’m not sure that anyone could give like the widow that gave the only two coins she had, but we are not being asked to do that much.
During our married life, we’ve been very involved in 4 parishes. I’ve been on many CRHP teams, church committees, school boards, etc. Often, I would think, I really don’t have time for all of this with as busy as I am. But looking back, it helped us grow into who we are now. I promise you; we ALL think we are too busy to get involved, and most of us are wrong in that assessment. It’s amazing how it all works out, whether its giving of time, talent or treasure.
So, in closing I’d like to return to my original question. “Is it possible to out give God?” I contend that the answer is obviously a resounding NO. I’ve been saying for years, “You can’t out give God”. If you only remember one thing I said, remember that.
God Bless