In her autobiography, The Long Loneliness, Dorothy Day recounts her experience with a priest named Father Roy, who had an unusually profound trust in God’s abundance, as well as an unshakeable conviction that Christians are called to live generously. I have shared these words before with the parish and vestry, but they are so compelling, that I am moved to share them again. Dorothy Day quotes Fr. Roy, who said,
“Suppose you want to go to California and it costs a hundred dollars. You have fifteen. It is not enough. So give it away, give it to the poor. Then you suddenly have twenty-five, and that is not enough and the only thing to do is to give it away too. Even seventy-five. That is not enough. Tell the Lord you want more. Throw it away recklessly. You will get back your hundredfold. You will get what you need. Maybe it will come in graces. Maybe it will cover your spiritual needs, not just your physical. But sow, sow! As ye sow, so shall ye reap. He who sows sparingly, reaps sparingly.” [Dorothy Day, The Long Loneliness (New York: HarperOne), Kindle edition, 252]
She continues:
“If we are rushed for time, sow time and we will reap time. Go to church and spend a quiet hour in prayer. You will have more time than ever and your work will get done. Sow time with the poor. Sit and listen to them, give them your time lavishly. You will reap time a hundredfold. Sow kindness and you will reap kindness. Sow love, you will reap love.” (p. 252)
The 24-7 message on television, social media, and in the accusing voices of our heads is that there is not enough. There’s never enough time. We’re never educated enough. There’s not enough money. And on and on. But this is a lie. While it’s true that many people lack the necessary resources to live a good life, that’s not because the resources are lacking in the world; it’s because those who have more than they need refuse to share what they have.
But Dorothy Day’s interpretation of sowing and reaping also suggests that we can sow one thing and reap another. We might be moved to sow all the money we have, and this doesn’t mean we’ll then reap more money by winning the lottery. We might reap such intangible things as a greater sense of charity within ourselves, or perhaps more trust in God, or perhaps stronger patience towards others.
Going out on a limb by being generous is in no sense a testing of God. Scripture warns against such dangerous behavior. When we are sacrificially generous with whatever we have—time, material possessions, money, love—we are ultimately placing our trust in God’s love and provision, as well as the conviction that God always gives us what we need. Always.
During this 2024 pledge campaign, I want to encourage all of us to take a chance on God’s generosity by summoning our own generosity. I also want to say that I believe God has given us exactly what we need right now to do the work to which we’re called. I believe that all the financial resources, time, and talent we need to sustain the vibrant life of ministry at Good Shepherd are in our midst. They are not on the outside of the parish; they are already here. Practically speaking, however, we seem to have a need. We seem to lack sufficient pledging to support ministry (which is why we have set an ambitious goal this year!), and we could use more helping hands in ministry. And so, this is why the pledge campaign is first and foremost about asking us to give to God first. We are asking because we are convinced that what we have is right before our eyes. It may not all be given, but it’s there. The question we’re all invited to prayerfully considered for the benefit of our souls as well as for the well-being of Good Shepherd, Rosemont, is this: can we trust God enough to be abundantly generous with what we’ve been given?
In some sense, we’re inviting you to echo what this parish and its leadership have done in recent years. This parish has taken bold leaps of faith, trusting in God’s generosity, by investing its limited financial resources in ministry, calling a full-time rector, supporting music, formation, and outreach. The results are the amazing things that God is doing among us. Now, we are asking you to consider doing the same with what God has given you.
If you were not able to attend the Advancement Committee’s presentation on September 17, please join one of two 30-minute Zoom presentations on Tuesday, October 3 at 7 p.m. ET and Thursday, October 5 at noon ET. The Advancement Committee is keen on ensuring that everyone understands our financial challenges at Good Shepherd as well as the realizable plan for achieving fiscal sustainability in the near future. Please take some time out of your busy schedules to join the committee for these discussions. There will be opportunities for you to ask questions, too.
And please pray for all who minister, worship, and serve at Good Shepherd as we seek to be faithful to God’s call, to know Jesus Christ, and to make him known in all that we do. Thank you!
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle