God Loves a Cheerful Giver

August 10, 2007

Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr

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. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. John 12:26

Piety

Blessed are those who are gracious and lend to those in need. (Psalm 112:1-2)

Study

Jesus uses the smallest images to make his point. Faith like a mustard seed will move a mountain. Branches and twigs. Grapes on a vine. The grain of wheat that dies only to be replaced by new life. A spark.

In order to connect with us, Jesus makes abundant use of images that his audience can understand. Those images point toward one thing – Jesus wants us to change. He wants us to warm up to Him, to grow closer to Him, to serve Him, to follow Him.

Back in high school (in the 1970s), we sang a song called “Pass It On,” in Youth Group that went something like this:

It only takes a spark to get a fire going

And soon all those around will warm up to its glowing

That’s how it is with God’s love once you’ve experienced it

You want to sing, it’s fresh like spring

You want to pass it on.

You can listen to it here and read all the lyrics: http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/pass.html

Just as the Lord loves a cheerful giver, He is a cheerful giver as well. Jesus does not ask us to do anything He has not done already. As this role model, he gives us everything we need for eternal life. If there is something we need in order to change and follow Him, the Lord will provide it. The Lord will not just provide a little to get by. God will provide every grace in abundance. “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.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

God provides the spark. He wants us to stoke the fire. What changes do you think God would like to see in your life? What has God provided to you so you can in turn provide to others – so you can pass it on?

St. Lawrence is an example of a cheerful giver. This Roman deacon was asked to bring to the local prefect all the gold and silver of the church. He agreed to assemble the Church’s treasures. After three days St. Lawrence gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”

According to legend, the prefect was so angry he ordered St. Lawrence burned. After he had been on the fire for a while, St. Lawrence reportedly said cheerfully: “It is well done. Turn it over and eat it!”

St. Lawrence was asked to give his earthly life. We have not been asked that. We have just been asked to love and to be loved.

Action

Are you a cheerful giver? What is the most favorite cause that you ever supported? Why?

Is there a person or a cause which you have been meaning to support but have failed to get around to writing that check and mailing it in or donating material goods? Let today’s scripture remind you to cheerfully look up that individual or organization and put an envelope in the mail stuffed with a personal check or whatever the organization needs.