Gifts to charity are best made with nothing in mind but generosity and selflessness. But that doesn't mean that donors can't feel pleased when the gift comes back in their direction to help people they know.
That's often the case with the annual Bishop's Appeal. This weekend in parishes throughout the Albany Diocese, Catholics will be asked to make selfless donations and encouraged to use the pledge-payment system to enlarge their gift. Those who dig deep can take pride in knowing that their gift will go to help others in need: maybe an infant born with AIDS who needs tender care during her short life...perhaps a fifth-grader in a Catholic school who is struggling to understand his religion lesson...possibly a group of senior citizens who want spiritual guidance at their nursing home.
Those are all good reasons to give. But here is another one: Like a boomerang, a gift often comes back in the direction it was sent from. What Catholics donate to the Bishop's Appeal frequently turns into services they need (see article on page 3): help in renovating a church so that it meets the needs of parishioners, for example, or guidance in celebrating the liturgy so that more people are involved and in touch with both God and one another.
In the coming year, the gift you make this weekend could ricochet if you or a loved one needs marriage counseling, religious education for a child with a developmental disability or consolation after a loved one's death.
Whatever the reason you decide to make a gift -- unadulterated generosity with no notion of self-interest, or the hope that you, your family or your parish will benefit -- pause before writing down your donation total on the pledge card. In that instant, add a little to your first thought. It might be the exact amount that you or someone you love will need somewhere down the road.