Money, Mission, and Moaning

“They’re always asking for money.” “All they do in the Church is ask for money.” That’s the moan which goes up at the mere mention of money in the Church community.

On the clergy side, there are the jokes about “fleecing the flock.” Well, today is one of those days here at Christ the Redeemer. It’s the day when the pastor invites your responsible sharing in the life and mission of the parish community. Despite the difference in perception about the frequency of the appeal for funds, I don’t hesitate to ask. Actually, the community itself encourages me in this annual ritual of presenting the needs of the parish and inviting the faithful in the up-building of the parish life and outreach.

Through the years I have discovered my identity as a mendicant friar. After years as a friar and living and depending on the “common table” as a way of life, I enjoy the opportunity to responsibly report how our parish funds have been spent and to invite the generous and joyful support of God’s People in our shared endeavors.

People usually tell me that I’m not too oppressive in making the request and seem even to enjoy the chance to engage the parishioners. For me it’s part of the job as pastor. And the work of the parish is not mine alone, but God’s work and the task of all of us together in working for the Kingdom of God. People’s response is generous and understanding of who and what we are about as Church.

Integration of Values
In our spiritual life and in living our faith we generally seek to integrate the various dimensions of our personality, our values, and our communal living. We attempt to feel whole. We like it when our lives are cohesive. For our lives to have meaning and purpose, the parts need to hold together and move forward for the achievement of personal and common goals.

My experience of most people is that they enjoy being part of a successful endeavor. In my years here at CTR, requests on behalf of others meets with a generous response. Whether we are looking to feed hungry people, or offer clothes to folks, or help to give shelter to those without housing, or even to think that we are helping people find medical assistance, more often we learn the joy of giving to someone else.

Our present times have been challenging to all with our finances and our re-arranging of

priorities. Some have felt the need more acutely. Others in smaller ways have adjusted their living and believing. Not infrequently we have rediscovered the value of family, friends, health, and the appreciation of a good life. In theological language we pray about these things as blessings. Many have learned it is possible to live with money as having only relative importance.

Who We Are and What We Are
As a human family we have learned who we are in a shared lived experience and what we expect out of life. The same is true of us as a Church family. The challenge of integration teaches us that we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord, who live in shared hope together. We are about the work of the Kingdom: the search for God, the doing of justice, the feeding and sheltering of the poor, and the doing of mercy. In those activities we find God operating in our world. Integration of all these dimensions of Christian life brings gospel joy and human satisfaction.

The piece that hangs out in our spirituality is the financial dimension. Somehow that is exempt very often from our view of our religious selves. Money along with our words and actions are the stuff of human discourse. As part of that discourse, money speaks. (We all know that!) It says who we are, what matters in life, and how we are related to one another. It is the stuff of commerce, employment, and the possibility of doing our human and church projects. Money has the possibility of expressing our charity for all, our common purpose in living, and it brings hope to our futures.

We choose to be Church, for there we search and find God. It is there where we know frequently the blessings of God. In the Church community we know peace and pardon, we experience consolation and comfort. We are blessed. Like the rest of life we find God as people with bodies as well as souls. Worship is in a building, with heating, air-conditioning, and electricity. The faith is shared in rooms with tables, chairs, and lights. We feed the poor and shelter the needy as we buy their food and pay their rents. Love makes the world go round, but money sure helps the process.

The challenge of integration is to see how money enables faith life and how money can join our voices in the praise of the works of God. Rather than “moaning” we may find that God and we may come to love the joyful giver who gives thanks for the blessing of life.

CDH