Investing with Faith / Elisa Smith

Let spring inspire your spirit as well as your senses

One of the things I love the most about living in Indiana is that we have four distinct seasons. Each year, we’re able to witness the entire life cycle—from birth to death—and then see a resurrection the following spring.

When I notice the trees beginning to bud and the scent of the flowers in bloom, I find myself silently saying a prayer of thanksgiving—not only for the beauty and bounty of God’s creation, but also for the resurrection of Christ.

To me, spring is a season of hope. It’s a constant reminder that death isn’t permanent. While our bodies may die someday, through Christ’s resurrection, we now have a path to eternal life.

Seeing death as just another season of life is also one of the things that makes me so passionate about legacy giving. It allows us to continue our charitable giving to a parish, Catholic school or ministry long after we cease to walk the Earth. And like the season of spring, it continues to flourish and bear fruit year after year.

Legacy giving, through endowment funds managed by the archdiocesan Catholic Community Foundation, is a way to reach beyond the grave and continually bring new life to our archdiocese.

Ironically, most people think about legacy giving in the dead of winter, mainly because of end-of-the-year tax planning. But, really, it’s springtime and its powerful symbolism that should inspire legacy giving.

As Christ himself said, “Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them” (Mt 6:28-29).

I hope that this spring inspires you as much as it does me. If, like me, you also find yourself thinking about the connection between the resurrection of life and legacy giving, now might be a good time to learn more. I, or one of my colleagues here at the Catholic Community Foundation, will be happy to sit down and walk you through the basics.

Feel free to contact me at ccf@archindy.org or by phone at 1-800-382-9836, ext. 1482, or 317-236-1482. You can also visit our website at archindy.org/CCF.

Until next month, have a blessed spring.
 

(Elisa Smith is director of the archdiocesan Catholic Community Foundation. Tax information or legal information provided herein is not intended as tax or legal advice and cannot be relied on to avoid statutory penalties. Always check with your legal, tax and financial advisors before implementing any gift plan.) †