GENEROSITY ENRICHED Having been assigned for many years in the seminary, I know what being in perpetual want is all about. Like everywhere else in the world, there is never enough money, I guess. Even individuals listed among the Fortune 500 need to continue working so as to remain in the list and do more of what they already are doing a lot of. Do you think they would continue working if they had “enough” money? Seminaries all over the country are needy. Buildings are often run-down, facilities crumbling, and resources dwindling. When I was in-charge of one, an activity we could not do without was fund-raising. Having done so many of such, I guess I am entitled to a few impressions about the matter. Let me enumerate some. First of all, those who talk too much are not necessarily those who give, period. Let us not talk of much or little. They simply don’t give. Second, those who are vociferous against such fund-raisings, especially when done by clerics or religious, are precisely those who cannot be expected to give. Thirdly, those who do give, tend to do so quietly, unobtrusively. Fourth, those who give are not necessarily the richest, or those who are expected to have a lot of money. For the most part, those who give are those who could also use the money in some other way, but choose not to. But I would like to add a fifth, if I may. A number of those who go out of themselves, and give, are those who claim that their generosity is enriched all the more. These are the ones who tell the world how blessed they have become because they have blessed others by their generosity. They are like biblical trees planted near running water. They are like the lowly unassuming coconuts that give their all, and continue to be blessed with fruits in abundance. Some of those people are our readers. God be praised for them, and thanks to them, “who scattered abroad and gave to the poor; their justice endures forever.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:07:45 +0000
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