SHARE - Fall 2008 - (Page 5)

From The Editor’s Desk Investing in the Kingdom of God W hile waiting for a bus one rainy day I read the following message posted on a nearby wall of the bus stop: “Time is of the essence! It is our most precious possession! We can spend it on ourselves, waste it or be good stewards and invest it into the kingdom of God.” The message was an open invitation to come and worship at a local church. As I wrote the message down, balancing my umbrella and briefcase precariously against the blowing rain, I thought about what it means to invest in the kingdom of God. The truth is that everything belongs to God, including ourselves. What we have is what He has given us, out of His love and largesse. Our very lives are a gift from God. So when we invest our time, treasure and talents in the kingdom of God, we are giving back what rightfully belongs to Him. All of what we are and all of what we possess are really a generous loan from the heavenly bank. Unlike an earthly Share Editor Peggy Eastman banker, God doesn’t say, “Pay me back with interest.” He doesn’t tell us how long we have to use the generous loan He has given us. He leaves what we do with His loan up to us. How we use that loan is our chance to thank the heavenly Banker for His generosity to us in this life. Attending Mass faithfully, volunteering at a soup kitchen, helping to build a Habitat for Humanity home, giving time at church, teaching children about Jesus, helping to raise money for the homeless, waiting quietly by a hospital bedside, calling or writing friends who are bereaved – these are just some of the ways to invest the heavenly loan of time and self wisely. Unfortunately our consumer-driven society does not support the concept of God as the heavenly Banker who owns everything. All of the secular pressure is couched in acquiring things for me, me, me: cars, clothes, shoes, laptop computers, sets of china, DVDs, carpets, jewelry, towels, kitchen gadgets… The advertising is constant and relentless, whether it comes through the mail as a direct solicitation, over the TV airwaves or in a magazine or newspaper. This message is totally the opposite of the one I read by the bus stop. This message might be expressed thus: “Time is of the essence! It is our most precious possession! We must spend it on ourselves! So hurry in and invest your money in the kingdom of what the store sells.” The slant of our consumer age is acquisitive and self-centered, not other-centered. It is focused on personal gratification, not giving. All of us appreciate pretty things. All of us crave novelty; liking newness is a very human trait. But think: cars break down and guzzle increasingly costly gas, clothes go out of style, jewelry can be lost or stolen, china chips, shoes wear down at the heels, towels develop holes after constant washings, kitchen gadgets often prove to be more trouble than our familiar old chopping knife or hand-held can opener. The kingdom of what the store sells is a disappointment. Nothing in that kingdom lasts. We are spiritual beings whose real home is elsewhere. We long to be in communion with the heavenly Banker. We are His servants here on earth. Servants do not hoard treasure. In fact, most servants own very little. We long to use all that the heavenly Banker has given us wisely. God has given each of us different gifts as part of His heavenly loan, and He speaks to each of us differently so we will know how best to use those gifts. We may not see a burning bush, as Moses did, or a blinding flash of light, as Saul/Paul did, but God is with each of us and wants to communicate His plans for us. I believe what God wants us to do with His generous loan is to give and give and give, not take and take and take. To resist consumerist pressure, I try not to take things I really don’t need, even if they are free. At a church fair recently an enthusiastic young saleswoman pressed upon me a giveaway new kitchen gadget that compresses the air out of food before it is stored in plastic bags. I didn’t want it, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by refusing it. So I toted the thing around for awhile. Wouldn’t you know, a fair goer admired it, said they must have run out because she didn’t get one, and absolutely beamed when I gave it to her. She said she could really use it to store food for her grandson’s lunches. It was just a little thing, but I felt good about passing this kitchen gadget along to someone who could really use it. St. Paul talked about the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:1-7). If all that we have has been on loan to us by the great and generous Giver, shouldn’t we be constantly striving to give back? The Catholic Daughters of the Americas 5

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHARE - Fall 2008

SHARE - Fall 2008 National Regent’s Message National Chaplain’s Message From the Editor’s Desk Mail Bag Book Corner CDA in Action National Convention Draws Record Crowd to Albuquerque Living as Women Embracing the Gift of Humanity A Tribute to the Retiring National Directors Vote November 4, 2008 Focus on Youth Anniversaries News & Notes People

SHARE - Fall 2008

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