Give All You Have

June 9, 2007

Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

A king's secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of God are to be declared and made known. Praise them with due honor. Do good, and evil will not find its way to you. Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life. Tobit 12:7-9

“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43-44

Piety

Let us pray: Help us, Lord, to serve and honor our devoted God, and to share stories about devoted service with all who have ears to hear. Lord, listen to the stories we will present at your feet. Intercede with your Divine Help whenever needed or send us forth to satisfy our need to extend faith, hope and charity to your willing servants. Tell us, your children, to do what is upright and to give alms, to be mindful of God and at all times to bless his name sincerely and with all their strength. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/060907.shtml

As we get to the dénouement of the Book of Tobit, the angel Raphael shares his wisdom with those he has aided.

We now fully understand that God sends people to participate in personal trials that purify His faithful servants further. Tobit lost his sight. Sarah lost her first seven husbands. The widow lost her dignity in her poverty. Yet none of them lose their faith in God. In fact, we probably could find that people with the most in the way of possessions have the hardest time parting with any of their precious possessions.

The widow whom Jesus watches and singles out is another example of how to highlight the poor ones in this gospel -- poor ones whose detachment from material possessions and dependence on God leads to their blessedness. Peter leaves his boats. Matthew leaves his tax collecting business. Such sacrifice does not go unnoticed by our Lord. According to the Beatitudes,

Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Luke 6:20-21

As we review Tobit’s life, Sarah’s life or the life of the widow, we conclude that all of these people fully relied upon God and sacrificed everything. This connection and closeness led to each of these servants having close moments (conversions/metanouia) with God.

Action

How can you heed this message? How can you can get control of your life at home, at work and in the diversions of play?

The hopeful and joyful outcomes of Tobit’s and Sarah’s stories provide striking contrast with the near-suicidal despair that washed over them in our readings earlier this week. The actions of the widow also provide specifics that serve to contrast the life of the overly pious. Her simple offering and the devout life lead by Tobit’s family further extend caring. These provide striking contrasts to the pride and pretentiousness of the scribes denounced in the Gospel by Mark or in modern day life.

This inspirational story has provided many lessons in how people cope with problems. Between the lines are injected passages devoted to teaching maxims or lessons to the reader.

If we learn these lessons though our study, they will help to keep our life strong in the Cursillo method and authentic in pursuing the knowledge of God. The focus on praising God (piety) extends to all of our houses and lives. The importance of praising God is then connected to the focus on our practices of piety today and beyond. Finally, once we know and document God’s grandeur, we can not nor should we even consider keeping it a secret. We are compelled by the Commandments according to Raphael to perform almsgiving and provide charitable acts to help the poor.