Do I Give Without Calculating?

 

11th Week: Ordinary Time, Monday

Year One

2 Cor 6:1-10

Meditation

Do I Give Without Calculating?

 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything(2 Cor 6:3-10).

The minister of the word has to face endless challenges in his service. Many desire to be ministers of God, it is not possible to all of them. Those who are possible servants of God will inevitably face hardships and challenges. There will be sorrows, but we will have joys too; there will be poverty, but God, they will have blessings and riches, and they will have nothing in this world, but they will possess everything in God in life and death.

Those who are in the ministry of the word, should be aware that it is call to bear witness and hardships are part of the service of God. To go against the world and its ways, to teach and preach about the way of Christ is really hard task. The preachers of word and Gods people are in the world but not of the world.

Are we aware of the difficulties of the ministers of the Word?

Year Two

Monday

1 Kings 21:1-16

Meditation

King Ahab wanted the vineyard of Naboth for himself; Naboth did not want to part with it. Queen Jezebel, through false accusations and use of power, had him stoned to death. On the death of Naboth, King Ahab receives possession of the vineyard close to his home. It is an interesting, sad story of Naboth's death and the King's fulfilment of the possession of the vineyard.

Greed can go to any extent, even terminating the lives of people. Greed is one of the vices that one should overcome to grow closer to God and one another. Desire for things and people to be normal,and  but to have it too much and to the end of harming them and ending their lives is a sin. Such a sinner will have to pay for their greed. Uncontrolled greed can cause pain to oneself and others.

Are we aware of our greed for possession?

Gospel

Mt 5:38-42

Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. (Mt 5:42)

Giving is an attitude that is cultivated in life; it has to be taught and adopted in daily living. Some find joy in giving, while others cling on to their material possessions and ideas. Happy are the people who give things and give themselves to others. If we do not give of our own accord, there may come a time when we may be compelled to give away. Give to people who ask for help, help people who come for assistance.

You need not go in search of the needy, but if anyone seeks your assistance, give with a generous heart; woe to you if you take advantage of the situation. You will be blessed if you give. Some people may want to borrow from you; let them borrow and return to you. It is hard for some people to give and let go. We will be happy only when we give and let go. When we are born, we hold our fist and at death, we let our palm open; from birth to death, we learn to give. May the Lord teach us charity and let us teach the coming generations to give generously.

Do I give without calculating?

Fr. Putti Anthaiah sdb