Can 13 year olds change the world? They certainly can do good which changes things! This week I heard a testimonial about some faith filled 13-year-olds. It reminded me of some of our own kids. To help prepare for Jesus’ coming, the student council has begun a penny drive for Catholic Relief Services. The children with a little direction from their faculty advisor have put together a simple school wide program. They have containers in all the classrooms and are encouraging the children to give from the goodness of their heart. The Student Council members went from room to room to tell the children of the program.
In the midst of their presentation they stated that the main reward for giving will be from our Lord for your goodness as well as your own knowledge of having done good to others. That reflects level D and C motivation, to please the Lord and help us get along well with one another (as opposed to A and B which serve myself only).
Today before school in the courtyard it was good to see many kids clutching their change, some in plastic bags some in bare little hands. I could see kids showing something to one another, when I went to check it out…..little fists of change.
As two Student Council members were preparing to announce the program to all the children in the school after Mass on Monday, I had an interesting dialogue with one of the girls. We were talking about the good that can be done with a little money in some of the very poor countries. She told of her sister’s sponsorship of two girls from Guatemala, providing for them on a monthly basis for a number of years. After several years she was notified that the young women were on their own and no longer in need of the support for education and daily sustenance. This young woman was a little disappointed that they didn’t need her sister’s sponsorship anymore.
When her birthday rolled around she asked her mom if she could sponsor a child of her own. So at the ripe old age of eleven, she adopted the sponsorship of Wadley, a four-year old boy from Haiti, pictured below. She told of Wadley, who shares her same birthday, with great joy. She spoke of planning for his birthday and buying things that would be useful to him, little, simple things like pencils, school supplies and stickers. The blessing of giving exuded from this young woman and brings great delight to my heart to see such generosity and joy in living the Gospel as Jesus would have us. Amen Alleluia and thank you for helping me prepare for Jesus coming this Advent
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Here’s one more example from beyond our walls, from Matthew Kelly:
| Every day I am impressed by the incredible and generous people I meet who are willing to lay down their own lives to re-energize the Church in America. Below is a message from one of the most remarkable people I know who has teamed up with Dynamic Catholic to make history. I am excited to share it with you.-Matthew Kelly |
| In January 2014, I decided to make history… by helping re-energize the Church in America. At 13 years old some say I am too young, but I knew I could prove them wrong!It started 3 years ago when I would go with my mom to pick my brother up from school. In the car, my mom always played one of Matthew Kelly’s first CDs, and I loved it. A year later, my mom and I started going to daily Mass together, even though it wasn’t always easy to wake up. After Mass I would go to the Adoration Chapel. I think there’s just something amazing about sitting and talking to Jesus about your life.Then, last January, my dad and I went to a Matthew Kelly event. We loved it! I always wanted to help Dynamic Catholic, so when I heard about the Ambassadors Club I signed up to be a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador, committing to a monthly gift of $5.
It sounds strange that a 13-year-old would give away money, but it’s not as hard as you think. I can usually earn $5 per month by serving weddings at my church. From that, I earn enough to make donations. Some 13-year olds might give money because their parents force them. But in my case, I was the one who really wanted to donate. I like to see exactly what my money goes toward, and I see Dynamic Catholic inspiring many people, old and young, to a deeper love for God. I know that our Church needs some help, and I think that Dynamic Catholic is doing what needs to be done! |
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In Christ’s Love,
