With the Diocesan Support Appeal underway, many people can't help but ponder: Where is my benefit in this mission work? My husband and I have enough money for a home, car, personal necessities, food, medical care and entertainment. We don't need any services from the diocese. We attend the Eucharistic Congress, and I do want to support the work of seminarians and deacons. But since the DSA doesn't serve me, I'll just tip a couple of bucks.
As Christians, do we rob God by thinking this way? Are we dropping tips into the collection plate? Does it always have to be about us and what we are getting? Sometimes we need to step back and look at the big picture, removing ourselves from the equation.
Almsgiving is taught in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: "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."
The Bible even references cheerful givers. Right after Pentecost, when 3,000 souls were baptized, then 5,000 were added to the Body of Christ, in Acts 4, the community of believers had financial needs. This issue was quickly resolved by the equivalent of a Diocesan Support Appeal:
"The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need." (Acts 4:32-35).
Just as Satan journeyed with Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days, the devil soon entered the picture here. Lo and behold, the Bible mentions two not-so-cheerful givers:
"A man named Ananias, however, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. He retained for himself, with his wife's knowledge, some of the purchase price, took the remainder, and put it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to the Holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold, was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God.' When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, unaware of what had happened. Peter said to her, 'Tell me, did you sell the land for this amount?' She answered, 'Yes, for that amount.' Then Peter said to her, 'Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, the footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.' At once, she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men entered they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things" (Acts 5:1-11).
Jesus said in Luke 3:9-11, "'Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.' And the crowds asked him, 'What then should we do?' He said to them in reply, 'Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.'"
The Lord goes into more detail. In Matthew 25:33-40: "He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
And in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, we read: "Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life."
If the Holy Spirit tells me to add another zero on my pledge, making my tip a sacrifice, I think I'll listen and I will do it with a cheerful heart! For when I give to others, I am helping Jesus.
Barbara Case Speers is a writer in Hickory.
Last week as we commemorated Good Friday and focused attention on the Passion of Jesus before His Resurrection on Easter Sunday, we heard a pivotal verbal exchange: "Jesus said to Pilate, 'For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate said to him, 'What is truth?'" (Jn 18:37-38)
With the proliferation of ideas, images and information, never has there been an age where Pilate's question is more relevant. The din of this world offers a plethora of enticing, conflicting and bizarre ideologies. Moral relativism, the belief that multiple and contradicting "truths" can exist and all be right, may tempt us to a kind of vapid political correctness. Yet everything we observe in the universe conveys an inviolable aspect of existence, a principle demonstrating that there is a governed cosmic reality, and we are part of it. The principle of gravity affects us all, whether we choose to believe in it or not. It is entirely logical to deduce that if there is an incontrovertible certainty for observable reality, there must be one for the part we cannot observe.
Jesus told His disciples, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). And, "if you abide in my word ... you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (Jn 8:31-32). He did not present His truth to us as one option among many "life choices." Christ's immutable truth – which satiates our unique, innermost needs now in part, and completely to perfection in eternity – presents a choice: light or darkness, love or hate, embrace God or reject God, heaven or hell. Both realms are reality: we must choose one or the other.
Jesus taught us how to choose a perfectly fulfilled, eternal life with God. Furthermore, He promised there is a way to live now that makes our temporal lives truly free. It was the freedom of the desert hermits and the saints. The testimony of Scripture and the witness of the saints tell us that the truth-filled life is the optimal one, and the risk of a non-truth-filled life is that we might ultimately reject God and heaven.
Like all great things, there is a price. We must "abide" in Jesus' word by striving to obey His teachings, authentically. Rationalizing actions which conflict with these cannot get us there. Sin blinds us spiritually and we lose the way, and over time we may come to disdain the truth. We need God's grace and mercy every day to root out sin, but we must also cooperate with His grace. Ironically, over time, we discover that the "price" of adhering to the truth seems less costly. Like the man in Scripture who found the pearl of great price, he sold everything to acquire it. To sell all he owned for a pearl seems to us a large price to pay, but to him it was as nothing.
To find the freedom that truth offers, we must set out on the right path. Like Pilate, we will find Jesus in front of us, waiting for our decision. Worn down by fatigue, the crowd, or other pressures, we may be tempted to be like Pilate. We may struggle with whether to let Jesus live or die in our own lives. Not allowing Jesus to answer his question, Pilate relented to popular pressure and his own lack of resolve and sent Jesus to death, killing Truth incarnate.
If we are honest with ourselves, have we not at times acted like Pilate? It is not easy to embrace truth and all its implications, and there will be difficult moments. In fact, it is those defining moments which ultimately form our "life choice." Only with the aid of the sacraments and daily prayer – especially for humility, mercy and understanding – do we find renewed healing and strength to be faithful, avoid the sin of Pilate, and allow Truth to live in our own lives.
Fred Berretta is a member of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.