SELF POSSESSION THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING AS THE BASIS OF GENUINE GIVING

20150617 SELF POSSESSION THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING AS THE BASIS OF GENUINE GIVING

Readings at Mass

First reading

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 ©

Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works. As scripture says: He was free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be forgotten.

  The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one, and, made richer in every way, you will be able to do all the generous things which, through us, are the cause of thanksgiving to God.

Psalm

Psalm 111:1-4,9 ©

Happy the man who fears the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Happy the man who fears the Lord,

  who takes delight in all his commands.

His sons will be powerful on earth;

  the children of the upright are blessed.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Riches and wealth are in his house;

  his justice stands firm for ever.

He is a light in the darkness for the upright:

  he is generous, merciful and just.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Open-handed, he gives to the poor;

  his justice stands firm for ever.

  His head will be raised in glory.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Col3:16a,17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,

find a home with you;

through him give thanks to God the Father.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 ©

Jesus said to his disciples:

  ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

  ‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

  ‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’

SELF-POSSESSION THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING AS THE BASIS OF GENUINE GIVING

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 COR 9:6-11; MT 6:1-6. 16-18

In the gospel today, Jesus warns us that whether in almsgiving, in prayer or in fasting, we must do it secretly.  It is important that we understand what Jesus really wants to teach us, if not we might misunderstand His whole message.  It is not simply a matter of doing everything secretly, for even if we do so but feel very proud about it, that we are spiritually more mature than those who pray or fast in order to attract the attention of man, then we are no better than them.  In fact, such an attitude is even more insidious because this is a hidden sin, unlike the latter, which is an external and obvious sin.  Spiritual pride, especially when it is hidden, is even more destructive than human pride!

Truly, the gist of today’s gospel message is not so much that we must do everything secretly.  If that was the main message, then scripture would be filled with empty pages, since no one would have shared what they did for the Lord or for others.  And Jesus too, would have beeen accused of double standards, since He did many good works for us to see.   Furthermore, we need to see the examples of the prophets, the apostles and the saints so that we can be edified by them.  We need witnesses to the Good News, for in another text, Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men so that they can give glory to God the Father!”

This, then, is the key to witnessing in public.  Are we doing something merely to gain attention for ourselves, or is it primarily for the glory of God, and secondarily, for the good of our fellowmen?  This is the critical question we have to ask ourselves.  So long as it is for the glory of God and for the good of others, then it is immaterial whether we do it publicly or in secret.

However, for one to do everything for the glory of God and for the good of others, it presupposes that the person has a certain level of self-possession.  That is to say, he must know himself and love himself.  The axiom of life is such that you cannot give what you have not got.  So in order to give, one must be capable of giving.  Otherwise, there is nothing to give.  Indeed, genuine giving presupposes this:  we must first love ourselves.  We must already have it before we can give it away.

Are we capable of giving?  If we give or do anything to seek praise, then we are not capable of genuine giving, since we are motivated not from within but from without.  We are giving with the expectation of receiving, whether it be monetary or other forms of reward. If that were the case, then we are actually making use of our recipients to feed our own lack of self-love and acceptance.  We serve others in order that they may affirm us, that we are good, loving and generous people.  So our giving is based on our need to be accepted and loved.  Clearly, it means that we are not good, loving or generous in the first place because if we were, we would have already known it and would not need others to remind us who we already are.  What is even more frustrating is that such people at the end of the day would feel more used than truly loved, since they are recognized only because of their ability to give and not because they are persons uniquely beautiful that deserve to be loved for the simple reason that they are the children of God.  This mentality of the world has reduced us all to nervous wrecks, seeking so desperately to be loved and accepted -spouse by their partner, chlidren by their parents, subordinates by their bosses.

There can be true freedom and joy only when a person’s giving flows from his being.  Giving should not be externally driven.   This is what Jesus meant when He said, “when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing.” Giving or doing good must flow from our interior life.  When that happens, we do not ask why we are giving or what we can derive from that giving.  Rather, we give simply because it is in our nature to give and our joy to give.

This explains why for such integrated people, they can give without being known or seen.  They are not doing to gain favour from anyone.   They give simply because, like God, it is their nature to give and to love and to pray.  They have no other motives other than to act out their being, which is love and giving.  They give joyfully too, as St Paul says, “Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  Giving, for them, is such a joy, more so than the recipients who receive the gifts, so much so that they are grateful to the recipients for accepting the gifts.  As a consequence, the recipients retain their dignity even when accepting the gifts, because they feel great that they are doing a service even when they receive the gifts.

Indeed, if we give grudgingly, or in expectation of some returns, or in such a manner as to strip our recipients of their dignity, then, it is clear that our giving is not sincere.  We are more concerned about our happiness than the happiness of the person who receives.  We are more concerned about our glory than whether God’s glory is manifested.

Consequently, no one can genuinely give to another or to do good unless he himself is integrated.  He must first find himself in order to lose himself.  He must first love himself and be filled with love for others. To find this self-integration, we must find God in our lives.  “Blessed the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commands. His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed.”

The point of Paul’s message is that the basis of giving comes from our assurance of His love and divine providence in the first place.  That is why we are reminded that “there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works.  As scripture says: He was free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be forgotten. The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for the food will provide you with all the seed you want and  make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one, and, made richer in every way, you will be able to do all the generous things which, through us, are the cause of thanksgiving to God.”

When we know that God loves us and has given Himself to us, then genuine giving will flow from the fact that we have received so great a blessing from God. This is what the responsorial psalm says, “Lavishly he gives to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.”  Only when we are confident of His love and care for us, can we become cheerful givers.  It is this confidence that God will provide always, that enables us to truly give without counting the cost.  Only because Christ had become poor to enrich us, that we can now do likewise.  That is why, all apostolate and giving must come from our experience of God’s love. God is the source of all true giving and compassion.  Consequently, to give, we must pray, so that we can experience God’s love; and to love we must fast, so that we can empathize with our fellowmen who are in need.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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