Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The theme of this year’s Stewardship Appeal is taken from the First Letter of St. Peter – “So, As We Have Received, We Give!”
Church of the Ascension has a long-standing custom of practicing biblical tithing.
Several places in the Scriptures call the People of God to recognize that all blessings come from God and that they should return a tenth of their blessings, crops, herds, wealth, etc. back to God.
While the Church does not demand that the Faithful practice the Old Testament biblical tithing model, all Catholics are encouraged to give generously and cheerfully (see 2 Cor. 9:7). The Church does, however, oblige the Faithful to assist in the Church’s needs (see Canon 222).
In our modern world, it is common to allocate donations to churches or other charities from what is left over, from our excess wealth. But the Gospel passage today reveals a stark contrast between the large sums given by the rich and the mere two coins given by the poor widow. The Lord praises the poor widow for putting in more, because she did not give from her surplus wealth, but gave a sacrificial gift, one taken from her poverty. That is the attitude of a steward.
One of the blessings of Ascension Parish is that we do not depend on one or two wealthy families to sustain our parish. Instead, we invite all parishioners, rich or poor, to sacrificially give in accord with their ability. We expect all families to give a portion, the wealthy will give more, those of meager income will give less, but all participate. Thus, every household accepts responsibility for the work of the parish.
Stewardship, of course, is not just about money. All we do here at Ascension demands the generous gifting of parishioner’s time and talent as they participate in ministries, volunteering their time and offering their services in support of our various apostolates. Good stewards share the most precious thing they have, themselves, in support of God’s work.
Please review the Stewardship Packet that you received in the mail and prayerfully offer your gifts of time, talent and treasure in support of the Church’s work here at Church of the Ascension.
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
