SPEAKER_00: The Beatitudes are some of the most familiar words in all of Scripture, and probably some of the most challenging.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus tells us, Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, he blesses those who understand that discipleship will always cost you something.
SPEAKER_00: The beatitudes are not poetry meant to be admired of from a distance.
SPEAKER_00: They should be a way of life, a roadmap of how to live our lives, and they force us to ask uncomfortable but honest questions.
SPEAKER_00: A question like, are we serious about following Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: Or only when it's convenient or when I need something?
SPEAKER_00: From the very beginning, the church took these words seriously.
SPEAKER_00: Care for the poor, the vulnerable, and those in need.
SPEAKER_00: This was not an optional ministry or some side project.
SPEAKER_00: It's part of the church's DNA.
SPEAKER_00: And if you read in the Acts of the Apostles, the first Christians shared what they had so that no one among them would be in need.
SPEAKER_00: And when hardship struck the church in Jerusalem, famine, persecution, real suffering, Saint Paul does something remarkable, something that had not been done before.
SPEAKER_00: He organized a collection among the churches he had founded, Gentile Christians.
SPEAKER_00: Many of them poor themselves were invited to give sacrificially to support fellow believers, believers they would never meet.
SPEAKER_00: This was unheard of.
SPEAKER_00: Why would they do this?
SPEAKER_00: Well, because they understood something essential.
SPEAKER_00: We all belong to the body of Christ, one body.
SPEAKER_00: And that conviction has never changed.
SPEAKER_00: The church is not a collection of independent communities looking out for one another.
SPEAKER_00: No, we are part of the universal church, not part of some storefront church.
SPEAKER_00: And when one part suffers, the whole body must respond.
SPEAKER_00: This is what the ABCD is all about.
SPEAKER_00: It's not simply an archdiocesan program, it's an expression of communion.
SPEAKER_00: Through it, we support the formation of priests, we care for the poor, educate the young, serve migrants and families in crisis, and we extend the mercy of Christ far beyond the walls of our own parish.
SPEAKER_00: Here's where the Beatitudes press in on us.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus does not call us to give from our leftovers.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, here, Jesus, this is, I have some spare change.
SPEAKER_00: Let me give that to you.
SPEAKER_00: No, he's calling us to give from what cost us.
SPEAKER_00: A sacrificial gift.
SPEAKER_00: He calls to give in a way that reflects trust.
SPEAKER_00: That when I give, I understand the sacrifice that he did for me.
SPEAKER_00: And when I give, it's because I love you, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Sacrificial giving is not about the amount, it's about the heart.
SPEAKER_00: It asks, do I really believe that what I have is a gift from God?
SPEAKER_00: Everything that I have accomplished, all the blessings in my life, do I truly understand that all of that comes from God Himself?
SPEAKER_00: Do I really believe that generosity is part of discipleship?
SPEAKER_00: Every family matters in this effort.
SPEAKER_00: This is not about a few people carrying the load while others watch from the sidelines.
SPEAKER_00: It is a collective response of faith.
SPEAKER_00: When everyone gives according to their ability, the church is able to do what no other parish can do alone.
SPEAKER_00: And we're all attached, all together.
SPEAKER_00: That's why it's important that every single family here give.
SPEAKER_00: Even young adults, single people, to be able to prayerfully discern what gift can I give back to the church?
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to need everyone's help because our goal is big this year.
SPEAKER_00: 700,000.
SPEAKER_00: It's gone up from last year.
SPEAKER_00: So the Beatitudes promise us this: then when we give ourselves away for the sake of others, we do not lose.
SPEAKER_00: We are blessed.
SPEAKER_00: Let us show in a concrete way that we belong to Christ, that we belong to one another, and that we are serious about and living the gospel, a gospel that defines who we are, a gospel that we profess.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.