//The Contemplative Monk//
Don’t Count Money, Calories, Pounds, or Steps
Money and Things: Perfectly Yourself by Matthew Kelly
The Rhythm of Life – 21 Questions that will Change Your Life – Question #7: How Is Money Limiting You?
“Welcome back to 21 questions that will change your life.
Question #7 is about the limitations money places on us. Some of them are real and some of them are imagined. Some of the ways we feel financially limited are not as complete as we believe them to be. What do you have to do because of money? And what are you prevented from doing because of money?
Question #7: If money was no object what would your daily routine look like?
If you knew that by working hard and being financially responsible, you would always have all the money you needed to reasonably live, how would you live differently? And more specifically, how would you change your daily routine?”
60 Second Wisdom – 13 Things Money Can’t Buy
“Is your life focused on the things you can buy with money or the things you can’t buy with money? Here are 13 things that money can’t buy that are worth more than all the things that money can buy.
1. Meaningful work.
2. Character.
3. Wisdom.
4. Self-esteem.
5. Friendship.
6. Inner-peace.
7. Health.
8. Love.
9. Respect.
10. A clear conscience.
11. Loyalty.
12. Happiness.
13. Another chance at a lost opportunity.
Whether you are earning money, spending money, saving money, investing money, or giving generously with money, it helps to remember, that while we need money to survive in this world, the things that make us thrive cannot be bought with money.”
Minute Meditation – Having Enough
Many of us think about money in terms of scarcity: the fear of losing it, of not having enough, and therefore the need to hold on to it tightly. Behind the veil of scarcity, though, there are more gracious ways to engage with money. What if we understood money as a form of energy that is meant to flow through our lives and through the world, rather than be hoarded and so become stagnant? To see money this way, to be willing to let it flow, requires letting go of fear and trusting instead that there is and will be enough for us and for others. Sufficiency—enoughness—is the middle way between scarcity and exploitative wealth. As Gandhi put it, the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed. Sufficiency is the way the birds of the air live, and the lilies of the field.
— from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction through Simple Living by Kyle Kramer, page 54
//Franciscan Media//
Dynamic Catholic – The 7 Laws of Money
Money Wisdom – Matthew Kelly
“There is wisdom to be gained in every area of life. Do you have more money wisdom today than you did a year ago?
Money plays a central role in our lives, yet we teach our young people so little about it, and most people never seriously apply themselves to learning about money. So, most people’s personal finances are a mess, and tragically, more than 35% of people who get divorced say they ended their marriage over disagreements about money.
Here are the seven laws of money:
1. Save part of everything you earn
2. Spend less than you earn
3. Invest wisely
4. Protect your assets from risk
5. Own your own home
6. Avoid unnecessary debt
7. Improve your ability to earn.
These laws have not changed in thousands of years. Commit yourself to them and they will lead you to financial health and allow you to be generous with those you love and those in need.”
Minute Meditation – Having Enough
Many of us think about money in terms of scarcity: the fear of losing it, of not having enough, and therefore the need to hold on to it tightly. Behind the veil of scarcity, though, there are more gracious ways to engage with money. What if we understood money as a form of energy that is meant to flow through our lives and through the world, rather than be hoarded and so become stagnant? To see money this way, to be willing to let it flow, requires letting go of fear and trusting instead that there is and will be enough for us and for others. Sufficiency—enoughness—is the middle way between scarcity and exploitative wealth. As Gandhi put it, the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed. Sufficiency is the way the birds of the air live, and the lilies of the field.
— from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction through Simple Living
by Kyle Kramer
//Franciscan Media//
Saint of the Day – March 3rd
Katharine Drexel (November 26, 1858 – March 3, 1955)
If your father is an international banker and you ride in a private railroad car, you are not likely to be drawn into a life of voluntary poverty. But if your mother opens your home to the poor three days each week and your father spends half an hour each evening in prayer, it is not impossible that you will devote your life to the poor and give away millions of dollars. Katharine Drexel did that.
Born in Philadelphia in 1858, she had an excellent education and traveled widely. As a rich girl, Katharine also had a grand debut into society. But when she nursed her stepmother through a three-year terminal illness, she saw that all the Drexel money could not buy safety from pain or death, and her life took a profound turn.
Katharine had always been interested in the plight of the Indians, having been appalled by what she read in Helen Hunt Jackson’s A Century of Dishonor. While on a European tour, she met Pope Leo XIII and asked him to send more missionaries to Wyoming for her friend Bishop James O’Connor. The pope replied, “Why don’t you become a missionary?” His answer shocked her into considering new possibilities.
Back home, Katharine visited the Dakotas, met the Sioux leader Red Cloud and began her systematic aid to Indian missions.
Katharine Drexel could easily have married. But after much discussion with Bishop O’Connor, she wrote in 1889, “The feast of Saint Joseph brought me the grace to give the remainder of my life to the Indians and the Colored.” Newspaper headlines screamed “Gives Up Seven Million!”
After three and a half years of training, Mother Drexel and her first band of nuns—Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored—opened a boarding school in Santa Fe. A string of foundations followed. By 1942, she had a system of black Catholic schools in 13 states, plus 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. Segregationists harassed her work, even burning a school in Pennsylvania. In all, she established 50 missions for Indians in 16 states.
Two saints met when Mother Drexel was advised by Mother Cabrini about the “politics” of getting her order’s Rule approved in Rome. Her crowning achievement was the founding of Xavier University in New Orleans, the first Catholic university in the United States for African Americans.
At 77, Mother Drexel suffered a heart attack and was forced to retire. Apparently her life was over. But now came almost 20 years of quiet, intense prayer from a small room overlooking the sanctuary. Small notebooks and slips of paper record her various prayers, ceaseless aspirations, and meditations. She died at 96 and was canonized in 2000.
Reflection
Saints have always said the same thing: Pray, be humble, accept the cross, love and forgive. But it is good to hear these things in the American idiom from one who, for instance, had her ears pierced as a teenager, who resolved to have “no cake, no preserves,” who wore a watch, was interviewed by the press, traveled by train, and could concern herself with the proper size of pipe for a new mission. These are obvious reminders that holiness can be lived in today’s culture as well as in that of Jerusalem or Rome.
Sermon Notes – Follow the Money
“Follow the Money“
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
January 16 – 17, 2021
Gospel: John 1:35-42
I received an email from the Diocese about parish revenues being down during the pandemic. Gosh they are sharp…they don’t miss a thing! They suggested ways in which to raise money that amounts to religious extortion. Do we need more money? No, we need more compassion. What did our good Lord say in the Old Testament? He said, “Comfort my people.” He didn’t say extort them. A priest once told me, “If you are a good priest, you will never need a second offering.” I refuse to do one. I don’t want their money…I want their sins.
During this time when everyone is struggling and doing their best, people are being terrified by what’s on the news. They are scaring the bejesus out of old people. “Oh, my God! You have COVID! That’s 5,000 cases!!” What’s the death toll? Not much…it’s COVID not Ebola. We just had a 98 year old WW II veteran, a POW, survive COVID. Again, it’s not Ebola. “Oh, but we’ve got all this COVID and disruption.” You are making it a disruption by stirring things up for your own advantage. Follow the money. You are scaring old people. How much toilet paper do you still have? I almost went to Harris Teeter the other day when we had snow flurries to see how many people were stocking up on milk and bread. We are to comfort our people. I want your sins. I want to give you Jesus.
I just finished a book on Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta. She formed the Missionaries of Charity who care for the poorest of the poor, the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for, and the shunned. I had the honor of working with the Sisters while in Cuba. The Sisters made great gifts of love to the people in their care, and they did it without reservation or disgust. The inspiration that lead to Saint Mother Teresa’s forming the Missionaries of Charity came from Jesus and the six words He spoke from the Cross. “I thirst.” I thirst for souls. He did not say, “I thirst for your bank account.” He said, “I thirst” for souls. It was Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls that inspired Saint Mother Teresa throughout her life to bring souls to Jesus. That is our mission too – to bring souls to Jesus.
That call from the crucifix still makes its way down to us and will until the end of time. In our charity, we can give people the knowledge of why we do it. Anyone can give away food. The Federal Government gives out food. I received food from the Feds…first in a can and then in a bag. Meals Requiring Ex-Lax or MRE’s. Be sure to drink lots of water or you’re going to have a real problem Houston. You may have to call Roto-Rooter. I didn’t see God in that. I saw what seemed like abuse, but I didn’t see God. Have you ever had lima beans out of a can from World War II? Not a good taste. I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody. The Knights of Columbus take food over to the shelter. We do this because the love of Christ compels us. In the old Catholic hospitals, there used to be a Crucifix in every patient’s room. In the old days, every classroom also had a crucifix. These days we don’t want to offend anyone by reminding them about Jesus. When I took my physical before entering seminary, I went to Dr. Skyler who had a Crucifix in every examination room. I was very impressed. He said, “If people don’t like it, let them find another doctor.”
By virtue of our baptism, it is our mission to evangelize. We are to bring the Faith to the world and people to Christ. The words of Christ from the Crucifix will continue until the end of time. He thirsts for souls. We are to be like the angels and bring people to Christ.
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How will you apply this message to your life? Will you help satiate Christ’s thirst for love and for souls?
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You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ , clicking on “Blog”, then “Categories” and finally “Sermon Notes.”