Relinquishment

Time and time again from the time of Jesus to the present day, people have heeded the invitation to relinquish their wealth or position to serve God either directly or through the poor.  The rich young man refused the invitation, but Zacchaeus accepted it with joy, giving half his possessions to the poor and repaying four times over those he might have extorted. (cf. Lk 19:1-10).  St. Hilda,  one of England's greatest women, abandoned her noble status to become a nun, and was the abbess of monasteries in Hartlepool and later, Whitby.  St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who died at the age of 24, left her castle to become a Franciscan Tertiary, giving abundantly of her wealth to the sick and the poor.
A mark of the Thanksgiving season in the United States, is the ringing of the Salvation Army bells at large stores, to remind us that there are many sick and poor who need help at all times, but particularly as the holidays roll around. Lazarus House has had to downsize its Thanksgiving program due to the enormous drain on supplies this past year. Is it too late to help?  When we want to hold back, we might think of these three who gave so generously of themselves, and follow the spirit of their example
Bro. Rene