Treasure- Giving Opportunities

Freely you have received, freely give.
 Matthew 10:8

Money and all of the things that we possess (our treasure) are gifts from God that we are asked to care for and generously share for our own benefit and the good of others. It is important for us to share our money and all of our material possessions for two reasons: first, because all the good things that God has made (including money) are meant to be shared, and second, because each of us has a need to give.

The Stewardship of Treasure calls us to search out ways to help the less fortunate. In the parable of the widow’s mite, she gave all that she had to her community. The community in turn made sure that all of her needs were taken care of. There are two Stewardship lessons to be learned. The first lesson is "Faith". The faith of the widow was absolute. She knew instinctively that God would take care of all of her needs. So, by giving all that she had, her faith was rewarded, and all of her needs were fulfilled. The second and just as important lesson is "To give is to receive". When we give, we receive the grace of God. That grace informs the heart and mind of His will and the way to carry that out.

The realization that all we have is a gift from God – is a lesson of the Holy Spirit. As disciples of Jesus, each of us has a responsibility to support the Church and to contribute generously to the building up of the Body of Christ.