June 15, 2011
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
By Colleen O'Sullivan
Brothers and sisters, consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)
Piety
Lavishly they give to the poor;
their generosity shall endure forever;
their horn shall be exalted in glory.
(Psalm 112:9)
Study
In today’s first reading, Paul is organizing a special offering for the persecuted and poverty-stricken Christians living in and around Jerusalem, but his words about giving in general are still relevant today. Be generous to those in need. When we give of ourselves and whatever we possess, do so with true desire. Don’t do it merely out of a sense of duty. Give cheerfully.
Give cheerfully? Often we are like the toddler sitting near me at Mass a few weeks ago. Out of the blue came an ear-splitting shriek and then I heard this not-quite two-year old distinctly proclaim, “That’s mine!” We grow up and become more sophisticated in how we phrase it, but still we cling to our time, our possessions, and our money because “they’re mine.” We’re too stressed out with our own frantic schedules to give time to others. We’re too busy to pray for anyone, even ourselves. We hold on tight to our material possessions. We aren’t generous with financial contributions because, after all, it’s our hard-earned money.
What makes it possible to be a generous, cheerful giver is remembering who and whose we are. We are children of the God who tells us, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." (Jer 1:5) “I called you by name and you are mine.” (Is 43:1) “I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name.” (Is 49:15b-16a). We are sons and daughters of the God who loves us so much he sent his only Son to save us from our sins. Jesus loves us so much he gave his life for us on the Cross. He continues to give himself to us in the Eucharist. The things in life that truly matter are all gifts from God. Not one of us got here by accident; God created us, named us and put us here for a purpose. We are always surrounded by the love of God. He never forgets any of us. We stumble, but are picked up, forgiven and sent on our way again. We have the hope of being with God forever. What more could a person ask for? When we are open to the working of the Holy Spirit within us and look at our lives this way, how can we help but be overflowing with gratitude as well as charity and generosity toward others?
Action
The ways in which you can be generous are numerous. Each month my parish collects food and paper goods for our food pantry. This month, in our church bulletin there was a plea for extra help. The needs in our area are so great that the cupboards are rapidly growing bare. You can help feed the hungry by donating food to your parish food pantry or to organizations like Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Arlington (http://www.ccda.net/programs_christhouse.php).
There are thousands of people in our country whose lives have been upended by this spring’s unprecedented flooding and tornado damage. You can extend a helping hand through contributions to Catholic Charities USA’ s disaster relief activities (http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=2225).
