Homily: November 25, 2025, Monday of the Thirty-Fourth week in Ordinary Time (Giving)

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“For those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

How much do you love God?

How grateful are you to God who has given you everything you need, including His own life?

When we love someone deeply, we would be more than willing to give everything we have for the good of the person we love, right?

And if we are truly grateful to someone, we would show appreciation in the most sincere and respectful way, wouldn’t we?

Recently, a friend told me what one priest shared in his homily: “Don’t give to God as you would give to a homeless beggar.”

That struck me. God does not need our sympathy, He does not need our money, He wants our love and gratitude. But church needs money to function, to accomplish God’s mission, so when we give to church, we are giving to God.

So how much does the church need, how much do we give?

Some general statistics look alarming. Typically, only about 30% of parishioners are supporting a parish’s ongoing expenses. When it comes to ministry engagement, about 10% of parishioners are doing 90% of the Church’s work.

Of course statistics alone do not tell the whole story. Based on today’s Gospel, it is clear that not everyone has the same amount of resources to start with. But Jesus is not concerned with how much we give, rather, how much of ourselves are we giving. This reflects how much love and gratitude we feel for our God, for our church.

God does not expect us to give Him anything beyond our ability, but He really wants us to check our hearts and intentions, our thoughts and motivations.

Some of our ministers are truly dedicated and incredibly committed. Many of them are involved in multiple ministries, going over and beyond the call of duty to give their all for the sake of the parish. But some of us are still reluctant, or have been giving the minimum even though life has got better.

I love this quote “When God blesses you financially, don’t raise your standard of living. Raise your standard of giving.”

As we enter Thanksgiving Week, let our actions show how true is our love for God and how sincere is our gratitude for all that He has given us, right to the last drop of His blood. God can never be outdone in generosity, when we are generous with Him, He will bless us even more. Be thankful that we are able to give. Amen.


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