What short, but powerful readings we have for mass today. They are simple, and to the point. It continues the theme from yesterday’s readings for mass. Christ tells us that we are to die to ourselves and give to others, in order to preserve our lives for eternal life. This is Christianity in a nutshell. The first reading from the book of Corinthians today says that whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. It is true, that the happiness we experience in life is tied to how much we love other people and show them our love. When we give a little, our hearts only open a little, but giving to others a lot, throws the doors to the heart wide open.
It says in the first reading that “Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”. That is hard to do sometimes though. A lot of times we feel overly pressured to give money to a particular cause and end up resenting it. And this is not a good mindset to be in. Sometimes though, it seems like every where we go people are asking us for money. Our children and adult children seem to always have urgent needs, extended family members keep asking for loans, the neighborhood kids’ approach you to buy things for their fundraisers, and our coworkers ask us to buy the products they are selling at work for extra income. Then, there are the beggars standing on the street corners and in front of department stores throughout the city. Sometimes they even approach you in your car, in front of the bank, in parking lots and even inside the grocery stores and restaurants.
When you buy a fast food meal or make a purchase in a department store the clerks asks you to add a dollar for a particular cause. And of course at church, there are a lot of requests for various charities and fundraisers as well. Many of us receive numerous solicitations on the phone to contribute to a worthy cause and people knock on our doors in person asking for donations too. When we come home from work the mailbox has letters in it from different charities requesting donations almost every day. After a while, you can get pretty tired of all the requests for money that you encounter every day, especially if you, or a family member is struggling with your own finances too. This can cause a lot of guilt because sometimes you can’t give money to everyone that asks you to do so. A job loss, reduction in hours at work, medical bills or a new roof that is needed on your home can temporarily affect your ability to give money to others sometimes. What is the right thing to do? Honor your debts and take care of your family first, or give your money to those who ask you for it?
The scriptures say that God loves a cheerful giver. What is a person to do? Well, maybe the resentment we feel is because God is actually calling us to serve Him in a different way. Human beings ask for things, but it is the Holy Spirit that leads us to do God’s will. Perhaps you know someone who broke their glasses and it makes you sad that they do not have the money for a new pair. You have a set of frames you could give them that might help reduce the cost of the new glasses though. If they only had to pay for the lens then they might be able to have a new pair glasses. Or, a woman at work left a domestic violence situation and doesn’t have any household items for a new place for her family to live. Sorting through your home and finding extra things you don’t need and giving them to this family is also an act of charity. Cleaning out your food items in the kitchen and donating the things you bought that your family probably won’t eat, to someone who is running short on grocery money is also a way of serving others. Men that know how to unstop a drain or fix a washing machine, can save a single mother from a big, unexpected expense that she really can’t afford. Donating your second hand furniture and appliances to Saint Vincent De Paul instead of selling them, really helps the people who need these things but can’t afford to buy them. You can even donate a car that doesn’t run to charity too. People in nursing homes might enjoy your old magazines and prisons usually welcome good used books. A shut in neighbor might also like some of your second hand books too. And kids always need second hand winter coats. There are many ways you can help other people besides giving them cash, if you just listen to your heart.
Jesus said in the gospel today that “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat: but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” A different way of looking at this gospel reading today, might be to look at the things you already own that you no longer use. Do you know someone who has a need for these things? Do you know how to fix or repair something for a person who lives on a very limited income like single mothers, the disabled or seniors? If you are a senior, can you teach a child to read, change the oil on a car, sew or grow vegetables? You may have skills that you are not using that could really help a child’s self esteem and give them skills that could help for a lifetime.
We can “produce much fruit” by simply listening to what our hearts are telling us to do, not necessarily what everyone else is asking us to do. We should listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit whenever He speaks to our heart. If it comes from our heart, it will always be the right thing to do.
