This past week we celebrated as a nation Veterans Day. On November 11, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower called upon all citizens of the United States to observe that day as Veterans Day. In his proclamation he told us: “On [this] day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting and enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” Veterans Day gives us an opportunity to offer grateful thanks to the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend and protect our precious liberties. We give thanks to our military service men and woman who make it possible for us to gather in peace every day. We remember those who have served, those who continue to serve our country whether at home or abroad, those still suffering the effects of their generous response in times of national need, those families who’s loved ones are away on deployment, and those who gave their lives in the line of duty.
This upcoming week we begin altar server training. The altar server has a wonderful role: to help parishioners and priests worship God. This role also teaches self-discipline, responsibility, etiquette, posture, teamwork, and leadership skills. Finally, this is a concrete way to build treasure in heaven and offer thanksgiving back to God for the gifts and talents that a person has received. There are many rules when it comes to serving Mass. The most important rule I tell servers, however, is “do not distract the congregation.” Mistakes will happen, parts forgotten, but a server must not distract those trying to worship God. We give thanks to God for our servers and their families.
Finally, I think a lot of people are thinking the same thing: we have had a lot of second collections these past two months! And that’s true. In addition to our normal second collections for the month of October and November (such as Seminarians’ Education, World Mission Sunday, and Human Development), we also had one because of a natural disaster and another that only happens every three years: A collection to help relief efforts after hurricane Ian, and a collection for the Archdiocese of Military Service. Especially in these difficult economic times all those second collections can strain our budgets and cause anxiety. When we take up the collection basket at Mass, I do not want that to be a time of anxiety. Instead, think of those second collections as additional creative ways the Church gives us to help others. As second collections they give us the freedom to determine who we want and who we can help. Ideally, we want to help everyone, and we push ourselves to do so in sacrificial ways. But our Lord also gives us prudence to help determine how far we can push ourselves in giving. For instance, if you are a family with kids to feed, you can’t go giving all your income to a local charity and letting your kids go hungry. On the opposite end, spending our money on each and every streaming service, cable bundle, or subscription will not bring us happiness. God gives us our gifts and resources for the service of Him and others.
Personally, when it comes to giving, I tithe each year: at least 10% of my income goes to God. Each year I budget my income so that our parish, outside collections, and some religious orders/schools receive my contributions. It helps take some of the guess work out of giving, and it gives me that little push I need to make sure that I give back to God. For instance, I know I must give up certain things through the year in order to give that percentage to God and balance the budget. Tithing helps me choose what is important and get rid of those things that would be a distraction in the end. As C.S. Lewis writes: “what [we] abandon was precisely nothing: that the kernel of what [we] were really seeking will be in heaven.” Finally, it helps me grow in evangelical poverty by giving me a measure of my detachment. I pray: “Lord, this year can you help me push myself to give back to you and neighbor even more than what I did last year.”