readings/081012.cfm
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
All of the New Testament writings mention money. With his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul asked them to support the church at Jerusalem, which was suffering famine. There was no democracy in the Roman Empire; its leaders didn’t think they could do much about famine and they didn’t much care. Famine, like disease and war, is just one of those things. But there was money and people with enough money, even in the worst of times, could eat.
Christians in Jerusalem needed money if they were to survive; and, in several of his letters, Saint Paul urged the people of Corinth and Rome to give generously.
Saint Paul saw more clearly than anyone that the Church is the Body of Christ, though it is spread throughout the world, speaks many languages and eats many different kinds of food. If some people in Jerusalem never meet Christians from Greece or Rome they are nonetheless united in the body of Christ. Just as they all gather around the Table of the Eucharist, they are brothers and sisters in God’s sight and share from the same table of common food.
Invariably, it seems, when a person who has not been to church in thirty years decides to go to church, he hears a “sermon about money.” Or at least that’s the story I hear from alienated Catholics. And that’s why they don’t come back. If I were God I would orchestrate things differently. I might have them hear a sermon about how much they can get from the Church; or how much better, happier and more prosperous practicing Christians are. But they hear about how much it will cost to belong to the Church.
Perhaps that is God’s way of screening out those who are not ready to belong. They must yet discover their need for the support and affection of the church; and must be ready to pay the price of membership, including time, talent and treasure.
Those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, (Romans 8:28) know they cannot outdo God in generosity. Try as they might, they continually owe a debt of gratitude to others and to God; and – like the cheerful martyr Saint Lawrence -- they go about daily trying to balance the score.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.