Tuesday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 366

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, of the grace of God that has been given to the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

 

I visited a parishioner once in a “development.” She had a “unit” amid several government-sponsored apartment buildings. As I approached her door, I notice a thick electric cord running from her room to another apartment. Someone’s electricity had been cut off, and they were relying on the help of a good neighbor. Poor people often share their resources like that. 

It seems to this Franciscan that the more people have, the more they want. The less they have, the more they share. We often read of wealthy individuals accused of astonishing schemes to make more money and we wonder what possessed them to make so many unwise choices.

In both his letters to the Corinthians, Saint Paul appealed for money. There was a famine in Jerusalem and Christians were suffering. The Jews had long supported one another by way of international collections. Saint Paul invited his disciples to join the fun and help distant Christians whom they had never seen and would never meet. The Apostle who saw the Body of Christ most clearly, although he had never known Jesus in the flesh before his crucifixion, knew the Body of Christ functions like any human body. Resources flow evenly and consistently from heart to extremities and head to toe. Jesus is the heart of the Church; his Spirit distributes treasure, time, and talent so that all can enjoy good health.

I was a fundraiser for our Franciscan Retreat House in Minnesota. I often heard people complain of being bombarded with requests. I suggested that they pray about it, support their diocese, parish and one charity in which they have a lively interest. They should learn the history of the charity and get to know its people, their operations and their future plans. They should expect the organization to have problems and setbacks, and sometimes to make costly mistakes, as we all do. They should visit the plant if at all possible. And they should throw away all the other appeals, including mine. 

Fundraisers don't want one-time donors or guilt donations. They want partners in their ministry who feel as strongly as they do about its importance. I called one fellow to thank him for his generous donation and he said, “I don’t know why I support a charity in Minnesota when there are retreat houses right here in California.” He thanked me for my advice and I never heard from him again. 

When we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, everyone wins. People who tithe for the church tell me they cannot afford not to. The Lord is good to them and they often see his not-so-hidden hand in their financial affairs. If we believe in God we give generously. If not, we just pretend.