By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
When I was a student in my parish school, Sacred Heart in Lake Worth, Fla., the sisters taught us to write at the top of every paper, every homework assignment: J.M.J., which stood for Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It was a way of making even school work a prayer � a lifting up of our minds and hearts to God. Under these initials, we also wrote: A.M.D.G., an abbreviation of the Latin phrase, Ad Majorem Dei Gloria, which means: For the greater glory of God.We should always do what we do for the greater glory of God. But giving God the glory is supposed to stretch us � which was, I think, the point the sisters were trying to make when they also had us write A.M.D.G. on our papers. You didn�t bring God much glory without giving it your best effort.
Over the years, the good people of our archdiocese have been giving their best effort � a sacrificial effort � in the support of the Archbishop�s Charities and Development campaign (ABCD) which funds the ministries of our archdiocese above and beyond what happens in our parishes. This January, once again, I am appealing to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Miami to support the ABCD.
Of course, I know that some people in the pews when they hear their parish priest asking them to make a sacrificial pledge once again might be tempted to shout out: �Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!� But let us remember that all this is Ad Majorem Dei Gloria. We�re doing it �for the greater glory of God.�
The Great Recession that began in early 2008 was the result, in part, of the failure of governments to exercise proper regulatory oversight and irresponsible and dishonest behavior by some in the business sector. In a word, greed led many to forget that all human activity should be directed AMDG � to the greater glory of God. Today, of course, we still face difficult economic times � and though we may have avoided falling off the �fiscal cliff� most people will pay more in payroll taxes. And many people still are fearful of the future.
The difficult times of these past few years have called each of us to a reassessment of our priorities; and as purse strings tightened we all faced many difficult choices. But, in any case, hard economic times do not give us an excuse � as Catholics � not to seek the greater glory of God which should always be our first priority.
In the second century, St. Iranaeus said that �the glory of God is man fully alive� (Gloria Dei vivens homo). That is what ABCD is about � by supporting the many life-changing ministries of the archdiocese � the Catholic faithful of our archdiocese want people to become more fully alive in Christ. And we do this in so many ways � through our Catholic Charities, through our religious education programs, our Catholic schools. We do this through our support of our seminarians and priests. We do this in our marriage preparation programs; our lay ministries that form people to minister to the bereaved, the homebound.
Yes, we do this in so many countless ways. But we can do it only because of the generosity of people like you, people who even in hard economic times keep their support of the Church in their list of major priorities. Indeed, when times are tough the needs addressed by the Church become even more critical; and to meet them we must be willing to stretch ourselves �for the greater glory of God.�
I turn to you, the faithful of our archdiocese, to once again support the good works of our local Church through your continued support of the ABCD. Because of you � and your generosity � the Church here in South Florida, united as One in Faith, One in Hope and One in Charity, does so much �for the greater glory of God� and for the good of our brothers and sisters always in need of the Good News.
