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From the October 2008 issue

Steward your stuff

Instead of a yard sale, try this: Invite 5-10 friends to clean out their closets of clothes and accessories they no longer wear. Organize items into piles: pants, sweaters, purses, jewelry, etc. Set up a couple of full-length mirrors and allow every to try on everything they're interested in. On scraps of paper, write a number for as many people present. Put the numbers in a bowl or hat. The person who draws No. 1 claims his or h er first choice item. The person who drew No. 2 then can pick his or her first choice item. When everyone has chosen one item, put the numbers back in the bowl and repeat the process. After three or four rounds, or until the preferred items are claimed, declare a free-for-all.

Afterward, gather up the remainders and donate them to a charitable organization. This kind of swap can include books, movies, household items, or other stuff. It's a great way to save money, recycle things you don't use or wear, keep usable goods out of landfills, make a donation and eliminate clutter. And it's a great way to spend time with friends. Check www.graceinaction.org for online swap alternatives.

From the September 2008 issue

Take Five: On-the-Job Meditations with St. Ignatius

Writeen by Mike Aquilina and Father Kris Stubna. Literally designed and written to be used in short breaks from work, there are three prompts following each meditation to help you apply St. Ignatius's teaching to interpersonal issues, stress, office politics, goal setting, moral issues, and more. This 176-page paperback book is just $9.95 plus S&H. More info in our online catalog»

From the April 2007 issue

Raise your spirits

Want to add more meaning to Easter his year? Plan to attend the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, or the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday at your parish. Or make a pilgrimage to your cathedral for the Chrism Mass during Holy Week and witness the priests’ renewal of vow and the bishop’s blessing upon the sacramental oils for the year. The beauty and grace of these liturgies, which build toward the pinnacle of the Catholic calendar, will help resurrect your spirit.

From the May 2007 issue

Thou shalt honor thy mother

This May, honor Mary in some visible way. You might add a Marian statue or a fleur-de-lis or other symbol of Mary to your garden, or plant marigolds or lilies — Marian flowers — in a flower bed that already has a statue of the Blessed Mother. You might bring a bouquet or flowering plant to a Marian shrine at your parish.
If you’re giving a Mother’s Day gift, consider gifts that advances women’s economics status. The U.N. Expert Group on Women & Finance reported that women comprise one-third of the official labor force, yet do two-thirds of the world's work, earn only one-tenth of its income and own one-hundredth of its property. Assisi Garments, a nonprofit company run by Franciscan Sisters in India, sells organic clothing made by disabled or economically disadvantaged people in a rehabilitation center. Global Girlfriend, a fair-trade outlet, helps disadvantaged artisans in developing countries by selling their handmade gifts and goods. Some mainstream retailers such as Anthropologie, Barneys and Kate spade also sell items crafted by women in need. Using profits, these organizations help empower women by providing medical care, job training and small loans for small businesses that help them escape the grind of poverty. Visit www.assisiorganics.com or www.globalgirlfriend.com to shop or request a catalog.

From the June 2007 issue

Challenge your charity

“The superfluities of the rich are the necessities of the poor.” — St. Augustine

Most of us can always find somebody richer or poorer than we are. Most of us receive many requests to give to charitable causes that assist people in need in one way or another. And most of us do respond to at least some of the appeals.

Next time you give to a charity, try this: Dare to be more generous. Make a leap of faith and give a little more. Challenge your charity.

If, for example, you normally give $50 to a cause, give $55 or $60, even $100. Notice how it feels to expand your charitable impulses. Most of us have more to give, more room for self-sacrifice and magnanimity.

And as with anything in life, the more we give, the more we get. Besides which, as any steward knows, virtue is its own reward.

From the July/August 2007 issue

Summer reading for spirit

Looking for some summer reading that goes far beyond a beach book? Crack the cover on a Bible. Try these verses for various times.

When in sorrow: read John 14
When men fail you: Psalm 27
When you have sinned: Psalm 51
When you worry: Matthew 6:19-34
Before Mass: Psalm 84
When endangered: Psalm 91
When you have the blues: Psalm 34
When God seems far away: Psalm 139 When you are discouraged: Isaiah 40
If you desire to be fruitful: John 15
When doubts come upon you: John 7:17
When you feel oppressed: Psalm 33
When you forget your blessings: Psalm 103
For stirring of faith: Hebrews 11
When you feel down and out: Romans 8:31-39
When you lack courage for your task: Joshua 1:1-11
When the world seems bigger than God: Psalm 90
When you want Christian assurance: Romans 8:1-30
When you travel: Psalm 121
When you grow bitter or critical: 1 Corinthians 13
When you experience difficulty getting along with others: Romans 12
For James’ idea of Christianity: James 1:19-27
For Paul’s idea of Christianity: 2 Corinthians 5:15-21
For Jesus’ idea of Christianity: Matthew 5

From the October 2007 issue

Gift wrap a goat

Your gift to Heifer International provides livestock such as chickens, cows, sheep and goats, even honeybees to people in need around the world. Families receive training in animal management and sustainable agriculture. $60 can provide three flocks of chickens to a struggling family. $120 can provide a goat, which can provide four quarts of milk a day, and the goats often give birth to twins or triplets. $500 can provide a heifer to a hungry family, and the cow can produce up to four gallons of milk a day and a calf every year. $1000 can provide a heifer, two goats and a water buffalo for an entire village. A Heifer International gift for a person who has practically everything can change the lives of those who have next to nothing. Gifts are tax deductible.

From the November 2007 issue

In the bag

The Natural Resources Defense Council suggest that producing the plastic bags used in the United States each year requires 12 million barrels of oil. Made from polyethylene, a petroleum product, plastic bags may take as long as 1,000 years to degrade. Americans toss 100 million plastic bags a year and recycle less than 1 percent of them, according to Worldwatch Institute. Plastic bags litter trees, water, land; clog storm drains; and kill birds, turtles and sea mammals that sometimes ingest them or get tangled in them. Paper bags exact an environmental toll, too. Each year, 14 million trees are felled to manufacture paper bags used in the United States.

The simple act of carrying a reusable tote bag for shopping is a more moral and ethical choice -- one that does not demand much, but bags have many benefits. Try this: To establish the habit, keep tote bags in your vehicle, or click your shopping list to it so you won't forget to bring it into the store with you. At the very least, recycle your plastic or paper bags.

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