Giving Tuesday
John, Chapter 5, Verse 41-42
41“I do not accept human praise; 42 moreover, I know that you do not have the LOVE of God in you.
We must act in the world as it is sometimes attributed to the sayings of St. Francis, “preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.”
This is the first premise of leadership. As leaders, especially Christian leaders, we must demonstrate the Be, Know and Do attitudes of Christ. That is, we must become an “Alter Christus” or another Christ. We must BE to others as Christ would. We must KNOW spiritual principals as Christ does and we must act or DO in the world as Christ would. Why because unlike the Jewish leaders whom Christ spoke to in the above verse we are compelled by the love of God.
This
day emulate our Lord by reflecting and living the prayer of St. Francis.
The Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of thy
peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying to self that we are
born to eternal life.
Giving Tuesday[1]
Giving Tuesday aims to celebrate and promote charity and generosity. After two
of the largest shopping days, Black
Friday and Cyber
Monday,
Giving Tuesday aims to provide people with a day to give back to the world.
Giving back can be through donations, volunteering time or any other form
of charitable action. Giving
Tuesday was first celebrated in 2012. Since its inception, there has been a
470% increase in online donations for the cause. It is celebrated annually on
the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as a reminder of the importance of generosity over
consumption.
Giving Tuesday Facts & Quotes
·
In
2015, there were a total of 1.3 million social media mentions of Giving
Tuesday. It officially went viral.
·
In
2015, the mean gift size (meaning the average between everybody who donated) on
Giving Tuesday was $107.47.
·
Over
71 countries around the world support and participate in Giving Tuesday.
·
You
may have heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There's another day you might
want to know about: Giving Tuesday. The idea is pretty straightforward. On the
Tuesday after Thanksgiving, shoppers take a break from their gift-buying and
donate what they can to charity. – Bill Gates, creator of Microsoft.
Giving Tuesday Top Events and Things to Do
·
Watch
a movie on the joys of gifts and giving. Some suggestions are: Pay it
Forward (2000), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946),
and Millions (2004).
·
Spread
awareness on social media by using the hashtag #GivingTuesday,
#TuesdayGiveawayDay and #TuesdayMeansDonate.
·
Volunteer
your time at a local homeless shelter or volunteer organization. Giving can be
much more than simply giving your money or things away. Giving your time is
equally as valuable and, in some ways, more important.
·
Read
a book about the joys of sharing. Some suggestions are: The Giving
Book, giving: How Each of Us Change the World and The Giving
Tree.
·
Donate
to a charity of your choice. Charity Navigator can help you find a charity that suits you.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION ONE-MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE
SPIRIT
CHAPTER THREE-GOD'S SALVATION: LAW AND
GRACE
Article 1-THE MORAL LAW
III. The New Law or the Law of the Gospel
1965 The
New Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection here on earth of the divine
law, natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ and is expressed
particularly in the Sermon on the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit
and through him it becomes the interior law of charity: "I will establish
a New Covenant with the house of Israel. . . . I will put my laws
into their hands, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and
they shall be my people."
1966 The
New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in
Christ. It works through charity; it uses the Sermon on the Mount to teach us
what must be done and makes use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do
it:
If anyone should meditate with
devotion and perspicacity on the sermon our Lord gave on the mount, as we read
in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, he will doubtless find there . . . the perfect
way of the Christian life.... This sermon contains ... all the precepts needed
to shape one's life.
1967 The
Law of the Gospel "fulfills," refines, surpasses, and leads the Old
Law to its perfection. In the Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine
promises by elevating and orienting them toward the "kingdom of
heaven." It is addressed to those open to accepting this new hope with
faith - the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, those
persecuted on account of Christ and so marks out the surprising ways of the Kingdom.
1968 The
Law of the Gospel fulfills the commandments of the Law. the Lord's Sermon on
the Mount, far from abolishing or devaluing the moral prescriptions of the Old
Law, releases their hidden potential and has new demands arise from them: it
reveals their entire divine and human truth. It does not add new external
precepts, but proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man
chooses between the pure and the impure, where faith, hope, and charity
are formed and with them the other virtues. the Gospel thus brings the Law to
its fullness through imitation of the perfection of the heavenly Father,
through forgiveness of enemies and prayer for persecutors, in emulation of the
divine generosity.
1969 The
New Law practices the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer and fasting,
directing them to the "Father who sees in secret," in contrast with
the desire to "be seen by men." Its prayer is the Our Father.
1970 The
Law of the Gospel requires us to make the decisive choice between "the two
ways" and to put into practice the words of the Lord. It is summed up
in the Golden Rule, "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to
them; this is the law and the prophets."
The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in the "new commandment" of
Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us.
1971 To
the Lord's Sermon on the Mount it is fitting to add the moral catechesis of the
apostolic teachings, such as Romans 12-15, 1 Corinthians 12-13, Colossians 3-4,
Ephesians 4-5, etc. This doctrine hands on the Lord's teaching with the
authority of the apostles, particularly in the presentation of the virtues that
flow from faith in Christ and are animated by charity, the principal gift of
the Holy Spirit. "Let charity be genuine.... Love one another with
brotherly affection.... Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be
constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice
hospitality." This catechesis also teaches us to deal with cases of
conscience in the light of our relationship to Christ and to the Church.
1972 The
New Law is called a law of love because it makes us act out of the love infused
by the Holy Spirit, rather than from fear; a law of grace, because it confers
the strength of grace to act, by means of faith and the sacraments; a law of
freedom, because it sets us free from the ritual and juridical observances of
the Old Law, inclines us to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity and,
finally, lets us pass from the condition of a servant who "does not know
what his master is doing" to that of a friend of Christ - "For all
that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" - or even to
the status of son and heir.
1973
Besides its precepts, the New Law also includes the evangelical counsels. the
traditional distinction between God's commandments and the evangelical counsels
is drawn in relation to charity, the perfection of Christian life. the precepts
are intended to remove whatever is incompatible with charity. the aim of the
counsels is to remove whatever might hinder the development of charity, even if
it is not contrary to it.
1974 The
evangelical counsels manifest the living fullness of charity, which is never
satisfied with not giving more. They attest its vitality and call forth our
spiritual readiness. the perfection of the New Law consists essentially in the
precepts of love of God and neighbor. the counsels point out the more direct
ways, the readier means, and are to be practiced in keeping with the vocation
of each:
(God) does not want each person to
keep all the counsels, but only those appropriate to the diversity of persons,
times, opportunities, and strengths, as charity requires; for it is charity, as
queen of all virtues, all commandments, all counsels, and, in short, of all
laws and all Christian actions that gives to all of them their rank, order,
time, and value.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in
the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: The
Sick Afflicted and Infirmed.
· Make reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
· Pray Day 3 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St.
Michael the Archangel
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
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