Whose Wealth Is It?

This evening, I enjoyed watching part of the movie, "Anna and the King," based upon the 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam, drawn loosely from the diaries of Mrs. Anna Leonowens, an English tutor to the children of the king of Siam (now Thailand).  One of my favorite scenes is the banquet given for the visiting British ambassador.  The sheer opulence, grand scale, and overwhelming beauty of the outdoor candlelit feast are utterly breathtaking!  I marveled at the depth of the wealth and comfort available to the king of Siam and the British upper class.

I thought how vastly distant it was from my own ordinary existence.

Then, I went into my kitchen and, without thinking, turned on my Keurig machine from Massachusetts and in three minutes had a cup of hot tea -- in a cup made in Italy, with tea leaves from India, sugar from Brazil, and cream from Florida, which I stirred with a silver spoon from Sheffield, England and sipped down scalding hot while eating fresh raspberries from California.  All within the comfort and privacy of my own comfortably air-conditioned home.

Hm.

Now, who's wealthy?  Materially, that is.

Often, I'll remind my children that, as Americans, in general, we are fortunate to live a more affluent lifestyle than roughly 93% of the world's population.  Or are we?  Fortunate, that is.  With great wealth comes great responsibility.  "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." (Luke 12:48b)

We have more.  Are we giving more?  As a country, I would argue yes.  As an individual, that's entirely up to each of us.

While visiting the United States, Mother Teresa was asked why our country had so few religious vocations.  It was said she paused thoughtfully, then replied, "You have too much."

Mother Teresa went on to say on another occasion,

"The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give.  But the less you have, the more free you are.  Poverty for us [the Missionaries of Charity] is a freedom. It is not mortification, a penance.  It is joyful freedom.  There is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy."

I am first in the line of those who need to be less preoccupied with material things and more focused on spiritual things from above.  For while I'm certain God isn't displeased with the security and comfort both my husband and I work hard to provide for our young family, I'm equally certain (and rather embarrassed before Him) that He's not entirely pleased with the low spot on my daily To Do List to which I hastily and frequently relegate "my" time for prayer, adoration, Mass, or just sitting quietly with HIM.

Just as my material blessings are not entirely my own (just ask Job), so too are neither my time nor my spiritual blessings solely my own either.  Remember?  God put us on this Earth, "to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven." 

Whatever we have at our disposal, whether it be material wealth and comfort or spiritual gifts, we are meant to put these things at God's disposal, allowing them to be used as HE sees fit...which may not necessarily be as WE see fit.

Take a few moments this Sunday.  Take a step back.  Look at what you have.  Evaluate how you can make yourself, your soul, your time, your actions, and your blessings be even more of a blessing to those around you.

Start small.

- Pray specifically for someone.
- Stop to pray one extra time today.
- Put another dollar in the collection basket.
- Give your child an extra hug just because you love him.
- Make that casserole you've been meaning to make for your elderly, pregnant, or ill neighbor or friend.
- Donate a few extra belongings to your local thrift shop.
- Finish the dishes, then go laugh in the sprinkler with your younger children, or sit down to laugh and play cards with the older ones.
- Look up who the Saint Of The Day is.  Read for two minutes about that person.
- Pick up the phone and graciously call that relative or friend with whom you've had recent or long-standing difficulty.
- Cut that check you've been mulling over!  Add an extra zero before the decimal point and mail it out Monday to your church, your local pregnancy center, or whichever charity inspires you.  

Remember, "Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." (Luke 6:38)

And, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, and see if I do not open the floodgates of heaven for you, and pour down upon you blessing without measure!" (Malachi 3:10)

(As an added bonus, read this beautiful treatise on, "Stewardship: A Discipleship of Love," by Bishop Victor B. Galeone, formerly of the Diocese of St. Augustine, FL.).

An Opportunity for Charity

"I love Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta (who's going to say they don't, right?).  I loved her philosophy of, “Show me the money!”

No, really.  It’s true.

When I worked for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) (crs.org), we were well-familiar with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity (motherteresa.org) based in Calcutta, India.  CRS was one of the first organizations in the early 1970s to recognize her vital mission.  “They gave me milk, when no one else would,” she remembered when visiting the agency’s headquarters in Baltimore, MD in 1996.  Since the agency maintains a presence in Calcutta, CRS staff have volunteered in Mother Teresa’s homes for the dying and other establishments for “the poorest of the poor.”

And it was a well-known fact that if you were able-bodied and showed up on her doorstep, you didn’t show up empty-handed.

“You’d better have either a check or a mop in your hands,” one agency member cheerfully recalled, shaking his head with a grin.  “Mother is nobody’s fool.”

Mother Teresa advocated that one must never deny a person the opportunity for charity, for that act of charity might be the salvation of that person’s soul.  But, charity must be given not only in the coinage of the world but in the currency of heaven, too:

“Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come.  If we seek first the Kingdom of God, the rest will be given.” (Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

I invite you today to open your hearts and your resources to some extraordinary, special-needs students, who are seeking the Kingdom of God, striving to learn about and understand, through hands-on science, the world which God created for them!  It might seem like a small, superfluous, or simple thing to support a little child’s science class when there are many, many critical needs in our world today.

But, God has placed each of us within each other’s orbit to do what we can for those who are closest to us.  For a child with special needs to comprehend even one more tiny aspect of the world around him – that IS a vital need!

And these children are right here in our local community, in our own back yard.  As a matter of fact, one of them is there right now.  Here.  In my own back yard.

No, really.  I can see him out the kitchen window.

He’s my son.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” (Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

I humbly present and encourage you to support an inspiring opportunity for charity – my son’s special needs science class of some of the most severely and profoundly disabled and delightful children in Ms. Sally Grove’s class at Rock Creek School in Frederick, MD.

The details of her course (making abstract concepts real), materials, and costs (less than $650 for the entire year!) may be found here (and below at the end of this blog post):

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/let-me-get-my-hands-on-that-making-sc/885893/?verify=222560514&challengeid=231048

I hope you will join me in supporting these kids and Ms. Sally (she was Frederick County’s “Special Educator of the Year” last year!).  Every dollar counts – even $5.00 means the world!  And if you donate by October 16^th and use the match code, “INSPIRE,” your gift will be DOUBLED!

“Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.” (Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

Thank you so much for considering these kids in your hearts and prayers!!!
_________________________________________
 

“Let Me Get My Hands on That -- Making Science Real!!!”

Rock Creek School

Science Teacher:  Ms. Sally Grove

My Students: Learning science can be tough for any student, but for my special needs students, it is especially challenging.  I teach the best students in the world!  Our school serves over 100 of the most severely and profoundly disabled students, ages 3 to 21, who function developmentally from Toddler to 2nd Grade.  I teach middle school science.

My Project: My students require hands-on learning materials they can view, touch, and maneuver to understand abstract concepts and make science REAL.  Manipulatives allow a hands-on experience to make science real, fun, and meaningful!

Project Details

Materials	Vendor	Price	#	Total
RE266 - Lens & Prism Set	Lakeshore Learning	$16.95	1	$16.95
LC3540X - Prepared Slides - Complete Set	Lakeshore Learning	$39.95	1	$39.95
FS326 - Super-Safe Prisms - Set of 6	Lakeshore Learning	$29.95	1	$29.95
BA109 - See-Inside Bucket Balance	Lakeshore Learning	$16.95	1	$16.95
EA133 - Count Up & Count Down Digital Timer	Lakeshore Learning	$13.99	2	$27.98
JJ159 - Lakeshore Electricity Lab	Lakeshore Learning	$49.95	1	$49.95
DS575 - Simple Machines Activity Cards	Lakeshore Learning	$14.95	1	$14.95
DS574 - Simple Machines Discovery Set	Lakeshore Learning	$42.95	1	$42.95
GR700 - Life Cycle Sequencing Kit	Lakeshore Learning	$29.95	1	$29.95
DD904 - Life Cycle of a Frog Elementary Specimen Set	Lakeshore Learning	$49.95	1	$49.95
FS491 - Human X-Rays - Set of 18	Lakeshore Learning	$26.95	1	$26.95
CE501 - Magnetic Field Wonder Window	Lakeshore Learning	$29.95	1	$29.95
LC1011 - Sink or Float Exploration Kit	Lakeshore Learning	$49.95	1	$49.95
EE512 - Lakeshore Magnet Kit	Lakeshore Learning	$49.95	1	$49.95
Vendor shipping charges				$0.00
State sales tax				$28.58
3rd party payment processing fee				$7.14
Fulfillment labor & materials				$30.00
Project cost excluding donation to support DonorsChoose.org				$542.05
Optional donation to support DonorsChoose.org				$95.66
Project cost including donation to support DonorsChoose.org				$637.71
5 Donors				-$257.06
GOAL TO GO!				$380.65

Ora Pro Mater (A Prayer for Mothers)

Summer has been luxurious, like a cat's long, languorous stretch in a warm sunbeam.

Alas, however, I am the mother of six Lilliputians, all but one in single digit ages and several still in diapers.  Now, as we begin the homeschool year, I find myself feeling that initial shock of jumping into a cool pool and feeling the water close over my head.  With that last quick intake of breath, and before the panic of lack of air sets in, I push upward immediately through the chilly depths toward air and light, gasping deeply like a landed fish when my head breaks the surface.  And I realize I will survive homeschooling!

It is both a challenge and a privilege to homeschool one's children, and I remind myself often of that on good days and bad. Toward that end, I'd love to share with you a prayer, which I partially composed and keep visible on my teacher desk.  I hope it brings you inspiration, solace, courage, and joy....especially on days when you'd rather be throwing a vase at the wall!

"Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation and its many responsibilities.  Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience." (1)  As I respond to my children's repeated needs just one more time, fill the depths of my heart with Your Loving Concern and instill on my tongue the Wisdom of Your Words.  Transform my tiredness, frustration, and anger into Your Joy, Compassion, and Love.

Sweetest Lord, "I want to do what you ask of me, in the way you ask, for as long as you ask, because you ask it." (2)  Help me believe I can do what you ask me to do.  Forgive me for the times when I fail.  Strengthen me to rise and reach for Your Hand when I fall.  Give me joy in attending to my Little Ones.  As I embrace each of them, graciously infuse my anxious soul with the same quiet, peace, and surety of Your Holy Mother's Loving Embrace.

Sweetest Lord, let my feeble limitations as a parent dissipate and be swept away by your Almighty strength.  Grant me the grace to live a long life of loving fidelity and generous surrender to You, through the gentle care of my children.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I Place My Trust in You!

Amen.

1 - Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

2 - Pope Clement XI

"....never tire of doing what is right." (2 Thessalonians 3:13 )

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." (2 Corinthians 4:1)