Reflection: Almsgiving & All-Giving
“I solemnly assure you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.
But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” – John 12:24
There is “giving,” of which Jesus Himself said: “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts
20:35). Then, there is giving bountifully (2Cor 9:6) and cheerfully, “for God loves a cheerful giver” (2Cor 9:7).
Next, there is “giving till it hurts,” that is, sacrificially. Finally, there is “giving all,” everything we have to live on
(see Lk 21:4).
This last kind of giving is the giving:
 Done by Jesus on the cross and by the martyrs
 Called for by the first commandment, that is, loving God with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds,
and all our strength (Lk 10:27)
 By which we receive God’s kingdom (Mt 13:44-46)
 In which we, by faith, possess everlasting life (see Mt 19:16,21)
 Which is multipliable (see e.g. Mt14:17-21), and
 Which is dying to self and bears much fruit (Jn 12:24)
For love of Jesus crucified, give all.
Prayer: Father, may I not diminish the meaning of my life by giving less than “all”.
Promise: “God can multiply His favors among you so that you may always have enough of everything. 2 Cor
9:8.
Reflection from One Bread, One Body, August 10, 2023
People with a Servant’s Heart are alive and well at Transfiguration Church… Will you
give your all?
Several weeks ago, I came across the above reflection from One Bread, One Body, 8/10/2023. It was the
perfect inspiration on how to arouse hearts and minds to the idea of serving our Lord and His people right here
in our Parish Home. Let’s face it, we are a continually-growing church community and our priests have many
pastoral duties and sacramental obligations which leave plenty of room for all of us to step up to plate and help
fill-in the gaps.
My name is Ana McConnell, and I help serve in our Hospitality Ministry. All I can share is my personal
experience and that is that when I am sincerely and happily doing the Lord’s work with other like-minded
people, there is a kind of joy that comes from it which cannot be explained. It is a contagious joy that lifts your
spirit beyond words… it’s the reason you can be exhausted beyond belief and still have a smile on your face!
Recently, Letty joined the Hospitality Ministry. She’s been a Transfiguration parishioner for a little over a year
and it was just after the recent Pig Roast that she decided to take a leap of faith and offer us her help. 2 days
later, she started cooking for the priests (something they have been looking forward to) and then decided she’d
like to make almost 200 Bunuelos for the Pancake Breakfast… from scratch! These were her words at the end
of an exhausting week of hard work for the Lord, “This has been the best week of my life!” So, you see… giving,
for the Lord, is undeniably amazing!

Are you searching for ways to serve our Lord in a new and more meaningful way? Try filling a need right here at
our Parish Home… more information coming soon!