DECEMBER 1999

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OUR WITNESSES HELP MAKE THE MC KENNA MINISTRY SPECIAL!

We are now more than 100 strong! That’s the number of volunteers who speak on tithing. We come from 12 dioceses in 7 States.

You’ve met some of us. Maybe you’ve met four individual speakers, or perhaps it was a couple and two “singles” who spoke to your parish. Whoever visited with you and your parishioners, it’s a safe bet there were many conversions to the tithing philosophy. They probably didn’t happen all at once. Some of us have to “sleep on” new ideas before we’re ready to buy into them. But our witnesses just talk about what tithing has meant in our lives and how we feel about it and then try to step back and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. As you can imagine, it isn’t easy. . .on many different levels. . .

But let’s “step back” and let one witness tell it. . .

“I don’t like to speak in public. At first I got almost physically ill when I did. Each time I got up I wondered why I did it. But then I decided to offer each Mass I spoke at for someone I love or am praying for and that helped. And I said that prayer of St. Augustine, ‘I am all things in Thee; without Thee I am nothing.’ And that helped. And a few other aspirations got added until I was able to do it without too much panic. At least I’ve stopped feeling like I’m going to cry in the middle of it. My talk is rather personal in one part and if I think about it, it makes me sad. But it’s that part that led me to where I am now, and so it’s all right. I’m not completely at ease with it because I still occasionally find myself thinking ‘Why do I do this? No more ever again.’ And then some good parishioner thanks me at the church door, or says how helpful my story was or something similar and by the second Mass I am saying in my heart ‘Lord, it is so good for me to be here.” So I guess He means for me to go on doing this.

“I’ve met some truly extraordinary people as a result of being a witness in the McKenna Ministry. Everyone is courteous and appreciative when often I feel I should be thanking them. I’ve received some lovely thank you notes from pastors and in some parishes they pray for us at the Prayer of the Faithful. That is so beautiful it almost does me in.

“The whole experience - my tithing journey - has made me remember something I read many years ago.

“‘Come to the edge.’
‘It’s too high.’
‘Come to the edge.’
‘We might fall.’
‘Come to the edge.’

So they came, and he pushed them – and they flew.’

“Despite the fact I still get an attack of stage fright from time to time, I’m glad I’m a tithing witness. It’s gratifying and more than a little humbling. And I see it as another way of tithing – I’m sharing who and what I am, and if it helps someone else, then I’m delighted.

“ . . .Because I’m awfully glad He ‘pushed’ me.”