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<\/a><\/p>\nA few days back, I asked readers to contribute five whole dollars (each) to help raise completion funds for the film All That Remains<\/em>. Five bucks a piece is a princely sum I know, but it must have been too much to ask.<\/p>\n I guess I figured the generosity of my fellow Catholics was something that I could count on, you know, when asking for such a pathetically small amount of money. Naive rube that I am, I\u2019m surprised that only 6 people stepped up and have given $265. We few, we happy few\u2026<\/p>\n But now, it\u2019s Cyber Monday, you know, the day when everyone gets crazy with their credit cards and buys more stuff that they absolutely must have for gifts, or just to satisfy that craving for bargains.<\/p>\n Idea! Perhaps I\u00a0was<\/em> asking too little. Not impressed with the chump change requests, my Catholic homies want a real challenge, eh? Okey-dokey. No sense in singing the money blues around here, so let\u2019s see what we are actually capable of today, shall we? First, a few examples of the (alleged) power of \u201ccrowd sourcing.\u201d<\/p>\n Example to shame you #1,<\/strong><\/p>\n Bigtime atheist cartoonist\/blogger Matthew Inman of the Oatmeal<\/em> asked his readers for $850,000<\/strong> to build a museum to enshrine the work of Nichola Tesla<\/a> using Indiegogo<\/em>. Guess what happened? \u00a0They responded with 1.3 Million dollars<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cOh hell yeah, sign me up! I\u2019ll never visit that museum, ever, but since Inman is the shizz, where\u2019s my wallet?\u201d<\/p>\n But Frank, we like what you do, honest, but we don\u2019t have that kind of money.<\/p>\n So, you think I don\u2019t have a rough idea of how many Catholics there are in the world? LOL, dear reader. LOL.<\/p>\n Example to shame you #2,<\/strong><\/p>\n The Muslim community used Indiegogo<\/em> to help raise funds for their mosque that was destroyed by arsonists in Joplin Missouri. They asked for $250,000<\/strong> and generous folks gave over $400k<\/strong>. <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not into religion myself, but it\u2019s not cricket that a mosque got torched by freakazoids either. Honey? Where\u2019s my credit card?\u201d<\/p>\n Frank, the Muslim conspiracy thing is real, man. Look at how much money they were able to squeeze out of an increasingly secularized culture\u2026sigh. Yeah, that excuse is kind of falling flat.<\/p>\n Hmmm. Maybe I am asking for too little, dear readers? $7,500 is chump change, after all.<\/p>\n Oh, lookie\u2026today\u2019s Gospel reading!<\/p>\n When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said,<\/p>\n \u201cI tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Would it have been more to your liking if I had asked for 100 kagillion, bagillion dollars<\/strong>? Roll clip,<\/p>\n