This is written on what has come to be known as Giving Tuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving — a holiday that used to stand on its own quite nicely but in today’s culture is followed by Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday is a new and noble idea that has mushroomed into a global movement since it was first proposed in 2012. Nonprofit groups use the day as a focused opportunity for fundraising or awareness.

But Catholics are aware that, just as God’s mercy cannot be contained in a special year, giving out of gratitude should be our way of life, not just one special day or even a season, such as Christmas.

“There is true joy in giving and serving,” writes Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, in his new Festival Letter called “Choice,” published in this issue of The Catholic Post.

And that joy should be year-round. So if Giving Tuesday slipped by without action on your part, the coming days and weeks will certainly offer many more opportunities in our parishes and communities. A timely one is the next weekend’s collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious — a way to say “thank you” and support aging Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests locally and around the nation. See Bishop Jenky’s letter on page 2 for more details. — Thomas J. Dermody