You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich; you have become kings without us! (1 Corinthians 4:8)

When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. (1 Corinthians 4:13)

May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones. (Ephesians 1:18)

The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. (Luke 1:53)

Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. (Matthew 10:8)

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

In light of the economic difficulties many in the U.S., and all over the world, are currently experiencing, it may be hard to think about giving our “riches” away. But yet, that is our call as Catholic men. But what could Paul have possibly meant when he told the Corinthians that they “have already grown rich” (1 Corinthians 4:8)?

Most members of the Corinthian church were among the poorer people in that city. Few of them possessed what the world of their day considered riches; probably none did, considered by our standards today. But what are the riches Paul is talking about. How about our ability to bless others even when ridiculed, to endure when persecuted, and to be gentle even when slandered (1 Corinthians 4:13)? What about the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) and the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that we have received?  These are treasures that any of us can have, regardless of how much money or how many “things” we may or may not possess. And aren’t these the riches that really matter anyway!

As Catholic men, God has given us so much! We have the Scriptures and the sacraments, the Spirit and the Church. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we have received wisdom, knowledge, understanding, fortitude, and so many other gifts (Isaiah 11:2). And Paul prayed that we would know these riches with greater and greater clarity (Ephesians 1:18). Why? Not so that we could rejoice in our wealth but so that we would know that we-every single one of us-have so much to offer other people.

Peace, divine love, joy, freedom from sin, even physical healing-how could we earn any of these? We have received much, as men whose empty hands the Father has filled with good things (Luke 1:53). And what does Jesus tell us? “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (Matthew 10:8). He is saying, “Use what you’ve received to build the kingdom of God and to bring glory to my Father.”

So the challenge is to give away what you’ve received. Don’t worry about what it is, or how much you have, or how it stacks up against what anyone else has received. Just give it away! Has God shown you his love and forgiveness in a particular way? Tell someone about it. Do you enjoy getting together with other men? Form a men’s group in your parish or, if you are already in one, invite a man to come to your next meeting. Have you experienced a physical healing? Pray with someone else for healing. Do you know a man that has stopped coming to Mass? Invite him to have a beer with you, and then at the right time, ask him to attend Mass with you. There’s no end to what Christ can accomplish through you because he dwells in you (Colossians 1:27).

“Father, in your infinite riches, you have given me everything I have. Show me today how and where to give it away. I believe that even as I do, you will fill me with more and more.”

Maurice Blumberg is on the Board of Directors of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men and Chairmen of the Board of The Word Among Us.

[Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/) for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.]

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men 

• 1. What is your reaction to the title of this article, i.e., the call to give Christ’s riches away?
• 2. How would you describe the kinds of “riches” we are called to give away?
• 3. What are some of the riches you have received from the Lord?
• 4. How well do you think you are doing in giving these riches away? What are some steps you can take to improve?
• 5. If you are in a men’s group, what steps can you take together to give your riches in Christ to others? Using the prayer at the end of the article as the starting point, pray for one another for the wisdom, grace, and courage to take the necessary steps.

[Yesterday was] the day we [ran] our full-page ad in the Washington Times weekly edition. It is a full-color ad in which we pay tribute to the 16 Catholic bishops who have chosen to protect Christ from sacrilege by enforcing Church law, specifically Canon 915.

In the ad, we ask Archbishop Donald Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. when he will join with these bishops. We have to presume from past statements and actions that the archbishop does not plan to do so any time soon; yet the question is a valid one. As Catholic columnist Barbara Kralis wrote in January 2007, 

Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington recently told journalist Allyson Smith that he would not discipline nor deny Holy Communion to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, nor to other Catholic politicians who promote and legislate procured abortion.

Without belaboring the point, it is sufficient to say that many opportunities have presented themselves to the archbishop to not only enforce Canon 915, but to instruct his priests, ordained deacons and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to do likewise. Such an action has not occurred.

The purpose of this column is to explain why we persist in this campaign and why our actions should not be perceived as disrespectful or otherwise antagonistic toward Catholic bishops. Quite the contrary is the case, as my comments will show.

Perhaps you have not read this particular canon before, so I will quote it for you:

Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, [emphasis added] are not to be admitted to holy communion.

We pursue this project of asking Catholic bishops, priests, ordained deacons and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to enforce this Church law specifically because numerous pro-abortion Catholic public figures, politicians, media types and so forth are scandalizing the faithful. They do so by being permitted to receive the body of Christ despite exhibiting obstinate persistence in the manifest grave sin of publicly supporting abortion.

As one Catholic wrote recently on Father John Zuhlsdorf’s blog, 

Senator Lisa Murkowski was listed as a guest of honor in the program for the Red Mass in Anchorage last Sunday, attended by Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, OMI. Lisa voted for the infamous “Harkin Amendment,” proclaiming the “sense of the senate” that Roe v. Wade is a wonderful decision and should be the law of the land. Thank God, she wasn’t able to attend and profane the Eucharist. Nonetheless, the impression left with the congregation was that if you publicly endorse abortion, you too can still be a guest of honor at a Red Mass, of all occasions.

The sentiments expressed in this comment expose the problem of not protecting Christ from sacrilege. The notion is created that pro-abortion Catholics in public life really aren’t in direct conflict with Church teaching. And yet, the fact is that they are not only in conflict, but their souls are in grave jeopardy. Regardless of what your opinion may be on Catholic teaching, the fact is that for any Catholic who claims to be a practicing Catholic, the act of abortion is an intrinsically evil act that is always and in every case wrong. No Catholic should support the murder of the innocent and yet they do so with abandon, and few ordained priests and deacons remind them of the gravity of their public position by denying the body of Christ to them. This too is a scandal.

American Life League does not focus attention on Canon 915 because we disrespect Catholic bishops; on the contrary, we do this because we believe sincerely that the purpose of Canon 915 is two-fold. Enforcement of this Church law protects the body of Christ and helps to teach the errant public figure that his actions are an offense to God and he must repent in order to return to full communion with the Church. 

For these two reasons alone, we cannot understand why all 260-plus Catholic bishops have not united in a position of solidarity to protect Christ from sacrilege. And by sacrilege I do not mean to suggest that we at American Life League are sitting in judgment of others’ intentions. Quite the contrary. If one examines the public record of any of these Catholic supporters of abortion, it is crystal clear that they endorse this crime against humanity while knowing full well that it conflicts with Church teaching, not to mention the commandment of God: “Thou shalt not kill.”

Deacon John Giglio states in his Deacon for Life blog,

Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God’s Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.

It is an undeniable fact that there is a human being in the womb during pregnancy; if it were otherwise, why would anyone promote, support, fund or acquire an abortion?

The presence of that baby in the womb, Fallopian tube or test tube is as real as is the presence of Christ in Holy Eucharist. It therefore makes perfect sense that just as the Catholic Church teaches that there is never a reason to abort a child, so too there should never be a reason to permit sacrilege against the truly present body of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. And yet it continues, day in and day out.

But we are not disheartened. We know that defending the truth does not resound well with many, but the accusations that we are divisive or judgmental cannot deter us. In fact, we welcome it all as we continue to defend the preborn and the real presence of Christ.

As Archbishop Raymond Burke wrote last year,

The United States of America is a thoroughly secularized society which canonizes radical individualism and relativism, even before the natural moral law. The application, therefore, is more necessary than ever, lest the faithful, led astray by the strong cultural trends of relativism, be deceived concerning the supreme good of the Holy Eucharist and the gravity of supporting publicly the commission of intrinsically evil acts. Catholics in public office bear an especially heavy burden of responsibility to uphold the moral law in the exercise of their office which is exercised for the common good, especially the good of the innocent and defenseless. When they fail, they lead others, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, to be deceived regarding the evils of procured abortion and other attacks on innocent and defenseless human life, on the integrity of human procreation, and on the family.

As Pope John Paul II reminded us, referring to the teaching of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, the Holy Eucharist contains the entire good of our salvation [91]. There is no responsibility of the Church’s shepherds which is greater than that of teaching the truth about the Holy Eucharist, celebrating worthily the Holy Eucharist, and directing the flock in the worship and care of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Can. 915 of the Code of Canon Law and can. 712 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches articulate an essential element of the shepherds’ responsibility, namely, the perennial discipline of the Church by which the minister of Holy Communion is to deny the Sacrament to those who obstinately persevere in manifest grave sin.