What Is The Purpose of Money?

If an individual or organization raises funds for the creation of a community of love, we are helping build the Kingdom of God. Even small acts of generosity can grow into something far beyond what we can imagine. Fundraising is a very concrete way to help the Kingdom of God come about but we need to understand the question, “What is the Kingdom?” Well the Kingdom must be the first priority and from there “all these other things will be given you as well” (MT 6:33). The Kingdom is best defined as where God provides for all that we need. “It is the realm where we are no longer pulled here and there by anxiety about having enough” (Henri Nouwen). The Kingdom is reflected in the words of Jesus when he says, “So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself” (MT 6:34). The Kingdom is also compared to a mustard seed where the smallest of seeds on earth produces the biggest shrub of them all. So when we give ourselves to planting and nurturing love here on earth, our efforts will reach out beyond our own chronological existence. Seemingly finite efforts will produce infinite results.

A fundraiser will never be able to ask for money if they do not know how they themselves relate to money. What is the place of money in your life? The importance of money is so tied up with relationships that it seems impossible to think about it without thinking about how family life has influenced our own relationship with money. Money is a central reality of family relationships and it is also a central reality in our relationships with people, institutions, and other causes outside the realm of family life. Money and power go together as well and there is a real relationship between power and a sense of self-worth. Consider some of the following questions and examine if any of them make you feel uncomfortable.

*Do you (or did you) ever talk about money with your parents?

*Are family conversations about money usually anxious, angry, hopeful, or satisfied?

*Did your parents ever teach you skills in how to handle money?

*How do you spend the money that you have?

*Where are you, in fact, giving your money?

*How would you react if people used the money you gave them in ways other than those for which you gave it?

*How does having, or not having, money affect our self-esteem, our sense of value?

*Do you ever use money to control people or events?

*Do you ever give money to give others the freedom to do what they want to do?

Very often talking about money is even a greater taboo than conversations about sex or religion. We do not feel that asking for money is an easy thing to be “up front” about. This is because “money has something to do with that intimate place in our heart where we need security, and we do not want to reveal our need to give away our security to someone who, maybe only accidentally, might betray us” (Henri Nouwen). The pressure in our culture to secure our own future and to control our lives as much as possible does not find much support in the Bible. Jesus knows our need for security and He expresses a concern about this deep human need by telling us not to misplace our trust into things or people that cannot offer us real security. Jesus challenges us to store up treasure in Heaven, not on earth because if our treasure is in Heaven so will our heart reside there as well. A heart that is divided between the things of earth and the things of Heaven cannot find security. The things of earth will enslave you and “you cannot be the slave of both God and of money.” (LK 16:13). Jesus asks a simple question, “What is the true base of your security? Is it God or mammon?” Jesus’ answer is, “Place your security in God.” You can see https://lorettofoundation.com/.com for information about charities we support.