TRUE JOY OF GIVING COMES ONLY FROM A GENUINE HEART

20151108 TRUE JOY OF GIVING COMES ONLY FROM A GENUINE HEART

Readings at Mass

First reading

1 Kings 17:10-16 ©

Elijah the Prophet went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for me to drink.’ She was setting off to bring it when he called after her. ‘Please’ he said ‘bring me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:

“Jar of meal shall not be spent,

jug of oil shall not be emptied,

before the day when the Lord sends

rain on the face of the earth.”’

The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.

Psalm

Psalm 145:7-10 ©

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,

  who is just to those who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

  the Lord, who sets prisoners free.

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

  who raises up those who are bowed down,

the Lord, who protects the stranger

  and upholds the widow and orphan.

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who loves the just

  but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign for ever,

  Zion’s God, from age to age.

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Second reading

Hebrews 9:24-28 ©

It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.

Gospel Acclamation

Rv2:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Even if you have to die, says the Lord,

keep faithful, and I will give you

the crown of life.

Alleluia!

Or

Mt5:3

Alleluia, alleluia!

How happy are the poor in spirit:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 12:38-44 ©

In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’

  He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’

TRUE JOY OF GIVING COMES ONLY FROM A GENUINE HEART

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 KG 17:10-16; HEB 9:24-28; MK 12:38-44

Singaporeans have often been accused of being individualistic, selfish and ‘kiasu’.  But then, Singaporeans are also well known for their generosity when it comes to helping the needy and the poor.  Singaporean Catholics too are also noted for their generosity.  We are not only generous with money but also in kind and in service.  If we fall into this category of generous people, then the gospel of today is addressed to us.

It is often said that there is great joy in giving.  It is, as the scriptures tell us, more blessed to give than to receive.  And indeed, some of us must have experienced the joy of giving and serving.   But there are occasions when giving does not give us the joy that we expect.  Why?  Because we have not really given of ourselves.  We think we have, but in reality we have not.  Let me explain.

For some of us, our giving is but merely a mutual exchange.  We give with the expectation of a return in some form.  The very unrefined ones are those who expect some material benefits in return.  So we invite others for dinner and expect them to invite us in return.  We help the Church so the priests must pander to all our needs and requests.  It is a kind of investment more than anything else.  If that is the case, then it is no big deal.  One need not be a religious person or a Christian to act in that manner.  Even pagans do likewise. Others may not be seeking for material gains but for some kind of recognition and appreciation.  In this case, we give so that others will say how good and generous we are. We want the Christian community to know we have contributed so much money to the Church.  We have an ego problem.  Once recognition is not given, we stop giving.  Because there is no more reward for giving.  Yes, how often have we stopped giving because people never thanked us?

This mercenary attitude is not merely restricted to the human level.  It extends to the spiritual dimension also.  Some people feel that they are giving time to God in prayer.  But what is the motive for them coming to worship or pray?  Simply to get their favours answered.  We treat God as if He is our dispensing machine.  I recite a number of prayers and He is required to answer my favours.  I give two dollars to God but He must promise that I will strike the Big Sweep. Isn’t this very paganistic and self-centered?  In truth we do not love God for who God is but for ourselves.

Then again, some of us may not be asking for material favours from God but for spiritual powers.  Some pray that they may have the gift of healing, the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy, etc.  But if we search ourselves deeper, why do we pray for these gifts – is it so that we can witness to God’s love more effectively?  Or perhaps, we want to show to others how spiritual and powerful we are.  So praying and gaining spiritual powers is another way to show superiority over others, gain recognition and popularity. That is why sometimes religion can be a big profit-making enterprise.  Those who cannot attain power and status in the world do so through religion.  The only difference is that this time we can claim the support of God.

When we behave in this manner, then we are just acting like the Pharisees and the Scribes.  They were teachers of the Law and spiritual leaders.  But they served with ulterior motives.  They were supposedly the servants of God, but the gospels tell us they wanted to be recognized, to be greeted, respected, honoured and bask in the limelight.  They were not really interested in serving people but themselves. Of course, this is done subtly under the pretext and in the name of religion.

The truth is that those of us who give with this kind of selfish motive can never find the great joy of service either to God or to others.  Why?  Firstly, a selfish person who is inward-looking cannot be happy.  He cannot but feel empty and unfulfilled.  We can even end up hating ourselves for we know we are cheating ourselves.  Secondly, it shows that we are very insecure.  The need for attention and recognition is a manifestation of our deep insecurity.  Consequently, we get manipulated as we try to manipulate others.  And those who know that they are being manipulated will react with anger and aversion.  This explains why some children are so hostile and rebellious towards their parents when they realize that they are loved and rewarded only when they do well and study hard and do whatever their parents want them to do.  So, instead of building love, the act of giving eventually brings division, for it is uncovered as manipulation.

What, then, is the kind of giving that can bring us true joy?  The Scripture provides us three models of true giving in three persons, namely, two widows and Jesus.  It is interesting to note that women were chosen in these examples.  By nature, women are generally better at understanding the meaning of love and sacrifice.  A mother’s love for her children is beyond reason.  When a woman loves, she naturally gives her all, whether it is to her husband, boyfriend or her children.  Women use less reasoning because they act from the heart.  Perhaps that is why the widows were contrasted with the male Jewish leaders who only wanted to grab, whereas they, the insignificant people, loved from and with their hearts.  Yes, they gave all that they could without thinking of themselves.  They put the needs of others before their own.  They gave without ulterior motives.  The widow in the gospel who gave the mite was not conscious that she had given more than all the rich.  The widow who helped Elijah was not concerned about protecting her own life, nor that of her son.  Both gave what they could.  Yes, they gave without seeking any return or recognition whatsoever.

And because they gave from the heart, they were at peace with themselves.  Their giving was but the expression of their hearts; their being. This is the way Jesus loves. Like God, His very nature is to love.  He loves us not for His sake but ours.  That is why in the second reading we speak of Jesus’ death as total self-giving.  Yes, our love must be like the flowers and the birds.  If you ask whom do they bloom for?  For nobody! They just bloom because that is their very nature.  Why do birds sing?  Because that is their very nature!  They do not intend to sing for us.  Whether we are around or not, they continue to sing.  Whether we appreciate or not, the flowers will bloom.  But it is only when flowers bloom and birds sing that they find their authenticity and become their very selves.

Yes, what ultimately matters for Jesus is not what one gives but why and how one gives. What ultimately matters is that we give from the heart.  It is the thought that counts, not the gift itself. The more loving the giver is, the happier he is.  The paradox is that the more we give to others, the more life and love we receive, like the widow in Elijah’s time.  Giving with the wrong or imperfect motive will not bring us the joy that God wants to give us. To the extent we love like God, unconditionally and unselfishly, to that extent we will experience the inexpressible joy of loving and serving.  If not, we will only become more bitter and disappointed, making us close our hearts eventually to love and service.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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