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We give for the ‘greater glory of God’Posted: 01.30.09 When I was a student in my parish school, Sacred Heart in Lake Worth, Fla., the sisters taught us to write at the top of every paper, every homework assignment “J.M.J.,” which stood for Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It was a way of making even schoolwork a prayer – a lifting up of our minds and hearts to God. Under these initials, we also wrote “A.M.D.G.,” an abbreviation of the Latin phrase, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloria,” which means “For the greater glory of God.” We should always do what we do for the greater glory of God. But giving God the glory does stretch us – which is, I think, the point the sisters were trying to make when they also had us write A.M.D.G. on our papers. You didn’t bring God much glory without giving it your best effort. Over the years the good people of our diocese have been giving their best effort – a sacrificial effort – in the support of Our Catholic Appeal which funds the ministries of our diocese above and beyond what happens in our parishes. This February, once again, I am appealing to the faithful of the Diocese of Orlando to support Our Catholic Appeal. In addition to this annual appeal, as many of you already know, our Diocese began in January of last year a major Capital Campaign called “Alive in Christ.” We are beginning our third Wave, which will involve some 20 parishes (23 parishes have already participated in Wave 1 and Wave 2). Yes, we are doing Our Catholic Appeal – and in selected parishes, “Alive in Christ.” Some people when they hear this want to shout out: “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” But, in reply, I remind them that all this is Ad Majorem Dei Gloria. We’re doing it “for the greater glory of God.” Today, of course, we face difficult economic times – and many people feel fear – and even panic. The failure of governments to exercise proper regulatory oversight, and irresponsible and dishonest behavior by some in the business sector shows that at the root of this present crisis is forgetting that all human activity should be directed A.M.D.G. – to the greater glory of God. Difficult times call each of us to a reassessment of our priorities and as purse strings tighten people face many difficult choices. But hard economic times do not give us an excuse – as Catholics – not to seek the greater glory of God which should always be our first priority. In the second century, St. Irenaeus said that “the Glory of God is Man fully Alive” (“Gloria Dei vivens homo”). That is what Our Catholic Appeal is about – by supporting the many life-changing ministries of the diocese – the Catholic faithful of our diocese want people to become more fully alive in Christ. And we do this in so many ways – through our Catholic Charities, through our Religious Education Programs, our Catholic Schools; we do this through our support of our seminarians and priests; we do this in our marriage preparation programs; and our lay ministries that form people to minister to the bereaved, the homebound. Yes, we do this in so many countless ways. But, we can do it only because of the generosity of people like you, people who even in hard economic times keep their support of the Church in their list of major priorities. Indeed, when times are tough the needs addressed by the Church become even more critical; and, to meet them we must be willing to stretch ourselves “for the greater glory of God.” I turn to you, the faithful of our diocese, to once again support the good works of our diocese through your continued support of Our Catholic Appeal. And I thank you for your gifts which are truly based on love.
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