Be a cheerful giver

“The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor 9:6-7)”
While Advent is a time of waiting for the birth of the Christ Child, it is also a time for being a cheerful giver to those who are struggling.

Perhaps no season of the year turns our thoughts to helping those in need more than Christmas. It is the day Our Savior was born and placed in a manger full of hay, kept warm by the breath of the farm animals because there was no room at the inn for the Holy Family.

For more than three decades, through The Beacon’s Christmas Sharing Fund, our readers have been given the opportunity to be cheerful givers during Advent and help their brothers and sisters who live in their neighborhoods in Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties, who have come looking for help in their time of need to diocesan Catholic Charities agencies.

Each week readers see a sampling of the cases that Catholic Charities deals with, in which clients request help for themselves and their families.

Some are simple — like help with paying rent or a utility bill — while others will bring a tear to your eye because the need is so great right in your own neighborhood.

We ask that you be a cheerful giver so that our Catholic Charities agencies can help all of their clients have a Merry Christmas, thanks to your generosity.