I am not sure your family tradition the night of Thanksgiving, but much to my chagrin I have a few family members that hit the big sales starting that evening. While I am not opposed to snatching a good sale, I always feel uncomfortable thinking about the workers who leave their families to prepare for the mad rush of eager shoppers. I am sure the deals on that evening make it worth it for that special item someone has been asking for all year, but I wish we could just give it one day. In fact, the next day, known as “Black Friday,” is one of the biggest shopping days in the US. Did you known the most popular requested gift card this year is an Amazon gift card? Anyone surprised? The shopping weekend doesn’t end here! We continue onto “Small Business Saturday” and then “Cyber Monday.”
The upcoming weekend is a shopper’s delight! But, something seems to be missing in all of this commotion. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to recognize your blessings! The gift of family, friends, a warm meal; we receive an abundance of blessings! I hate to say it to my fellow shoppers reading this, but wouldn’t it be better to have “giving days” rather than “shopping days” ahead of us?
Good news, “Giving Tuesday” is right around the corner! Giving Tuesday is celebrated on November 27, 2018 and is promoted as a global day of giving. While the day has increased in awareness and popularity since its inception in 2012, it is still unknown to many. Giving Tuesday was created by a team at the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact and an organization called 92nd Street Y. They wanted to create one day when individuals and communities could celebrate and encourage giving. The day juxtaposes the consumerism culture prominent in days prior. Last year, all types of nonprofits received over 2.5 million gifts which totaled more than 300 million dollars all raised in ONE day! Those numbers are a tremendous example of generosity in a world that sometimes seems to emphasize individualism and consumerism over philanthropy.
So, how can we as Catholics participate in Giving Tuesday? How about responding in the spirit of stewardship? Think about your GPS for a minute. Yes, the GPS that you may have used to navigate you to a store or an event recently. Just as a GPS navigates us to our destination, stewardship helps us navigate our faith life. Ultimately, the destination is being in full communion with Jesus. Here at Cathedral, we will be posting opportunities to use our Stewardship GPS to Give, Pray, and Serve. We invite you to join us.
On November 27th:
- Join us for Mass at 7AM or 5:15PM
- Come in for Confession from 4:15PM- 5:00PM
- Take time reading the Scriptures for the day, easily found on USCCB’s website (http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112718.cfm)
- Pray for those listed on the online prayer wall or listed as a Mass Intention for the week Consider serving at your favorite organization that day or contacting an organization about volunteering
- Call a friend and invite them to an upcoming faith formation event or next Sunday’s Mass
Share with us how you use your Stewardship GPS on Giving Tuesday by engaging in the conversation on Facebook or with your peers. We are all blessed in abundance by God. Let us lead the way (GPS!) by our example on Giving Tuesday!
Katie Price is the Coordinator for Stewardship at the Cathedral. She can be reached at [email protected].