WORD ALIVE

Jesus Christ in the Sunday gospel praises the poor widow who drops two small copper coins, equivalent to a few centavos,  in the temple treasury, unlike the others who “put in their surplus money” (Mk 12,43).

Although very poor, she put “all she had to live on.”

The first lesson worth learning is that you do not have to be wealthy in order to give to charity or help people. The example of the poor widow tenderly illustrates this. There are those who say, “I’ll give when I become rich or win the lotto” or “when I receive my retirement pension.” The question is: what if you will not become rich or win the lotto or die before your retirement, does it mean you won’t reach out to the needy anymore?

The second lesson teaches that our giving is more meaningful and meritorious when it is accompanied by some pain or sacrifice. Remember the saying: “Give until it hurts?”
The rich in the gospel did not have this. They gave away only what was extra or disposable. There are some, for instance, who give away used items to indigents or calamity victims. That’s fine.

But many of the items donated are too old and practically unusable.

When you donate money for charity, what’s your real motive? Is it because you want your name to be publicized? Or want something in return? 

If such is your motive, then your giving is self-serving; it has a string attached. Christ teaches, “When you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it as the hypocrites do” (Mt 6,2).
 

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There are three kinds of givers: grudge giver, duty giver, and love giver.

Grudge givers give but do it grudgingly or reluctantly. Duty givers give as an act of obligation. Love givers are sacrificial; they give because they want to as an act of love. They do it freely from the heart (mula sa puso).

What kind of giver are you? Be generous and God will be generous to you.
 

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Thought to ponder. St. Peter to new applicant at  the heavenly gate: “And what good deeds did you do during your lifetime?” New applicant:   “Well, I once gave some poor relatives and old beggars ₱50 and other ₱50s to others.” 

St. Peter: “Anything else?” The new applicant said:  “I’m afraid no more.” St. Peter: “Well, here’s the total of your ₱5,000. I’m returning it all and you can go to Hell now!”
 

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Book worth reading. “The Metaphysics of the Holy Eucharist” is a philosophy book authored by Fr. Raymun J. Festin, SVD, who for years, worked as a Divine Word missionary (SVD) in Angola, Africa and later finished a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven (Louvain) in Belgium.

“The book is an important contribution to the coming research on the relationship between faith and reason in a postmodern world.

“This work is quite unique and daring in its attempt to articulate faith in the Eucharist through a language that can communicate even to those who have non-Christian convictions. Reasoned faith becomes the way forward in sharing the Gospel to men and women today.”

For inquiry, e-mail Fr. Raymun J. Festin, SVD at [email protected].
 

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Support seminarians. The message of the Lord today is generosity. Please be generous to our seminarians whose parents are badly affected by the economic crisis. Seminarians are very important in the church. Without them we cannot have priests, missionaries, bishops and popes.

Donate any amount or sponsor a seminarian’s schooling good for one school year. E-mail:[email protected]