Pope Benedict XVI when teaching on charity suggests: “Scripture teaches us that there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf. Acts 20,35).
When we do things out of love, we express the truth of our being; indeed, we have been created not for ourselves but for God and our brothers and sisters (cf. 2 Cor 5,15). ...” There is much joy in Georgia this week, as the growing Archdiocese of Atlanta received a rather large gift from the estate of author Margaret Mitchell’s nephew, Joseph, including a 50 percent share of the trademark and literary rights to “Gone With the Wind.” Already some of the sizeable gift is being put to good use including $7.5 million for the Christ the King Cathedral building fund and $1.5 for Catholic Charities Atlanta as well as $2 million to create an endowment fund for the social service agency. In addition, Archbishop Wilton Gregory has announced that the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia is to create an endowment fund for every parish in the Archdiocese totaling $1 million.
While Catholics south of the Mason-Dixon Line were rejoicing over the news of Mr. Mitchell’s generosity and charity to the Church, there was little cause for joy in New England. This week the Chronicle of Philanthropy released a study that suggests the six New England states are the least generous in the country when it comes to charitable giving. The most generous state in the country was Utah, were citizens gave over 10 percent of their discretionary income to charity closely followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina where charitable giving abounds. However, Rhode Island was 46th on the list. The study also suggested that states with the least religious residents are also the most tightfisted when it came to financially supporting charity.
If ever there was a time for all Rhode Islanders - but most especially Catholics - to be more generous in giving to charity it is during this time of continuing economic decline and fiscal hardship for many of our brothers and sisters. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us: “Every time when, for love of God, we share our goods with our neighbor in need, we discover that the fullness of life comes from love and all is returned to us as a blessing in the form of peace, inner satisfaction and joy.”
Perhaps Catholic across the state can lead the Ocean State in rediscovering the true and lasting joy of giving to make a difference in the lives of those in the greatest of need.
