“Guard against all greed.”

My dear friends in Christ,

In Jesus’ time, respected Rabbis were often called upon to settle disputes. When a man approached Jesus regarding a quarrel over the family inheritance Jesus refused to intervene in this shameless argument about money. He then began a long discourse on the nature of material possessions. Jesus warned His disciples to be on guard against greed, since one’s life did not consist in an abundance of possessions. Notice that Jesus says, “Guard against all greed.” Could this apply not only to material wealth, but also our knowledge wealth as well? Are we owners or stewards of our ministries? Ownership implies possessing the power to make all decisions. Stewardship implies accountability to the owners or stakeholders in our parishes, and ultimately to the Lord.

On the Parish level, we are being held accountable for the financial sustainability of our own parish. We all must do our part to make our parish viable for the future. What that means is that I am asking you to perhaps consider increasing your sacrificial giving to our parish to reduce debt and to position us for financial success. I know that most of you are generous givers as Corpus Christi Church holds a special place in your hearts. I am always encouraged by the passion shown for our Church and parish. Many of you have a sense of belonging here and our goal is to ensure that Corpus Christi Church will be around for years to come. Any extra amount you could give would place us in a stronger position for the future. As always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity.

May God bless you all!

Father John