20210616 REWARDS OF GIVING
16 June, 2021, Wednesday, 11th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 © |
There is no limit to the blessings which God can send you
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 111(112):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 © |
Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you
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.’
REWARDS OF GIVING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Cor 9:6-11; Ps 112:1-4,9; Mt 6:1-6. 16-18]
The scripture readings today speak of the reward that comes with giving ourselves to our fellowmen, or to God, whether in kind or in personal sacrifices. In the gospel, Jesus speaks specifically of the kind of reward we will get based on the motive of our giving. St Paul earlier on had been urging the Corinthians to be more generous in helping the poor mother Church in Jerusalem, using the Macedonians as an example of gracious giving out of their poverty. In today’s reading, he explains the benefits of giving to the recipient, the giver, God and to the community.
Yet, the question of reward sits uncomfortably with Catholics because it contradicts the doctrine of pure grace. How can we demand reward for the work and good we do when we know that all we have, all that we are, our talents, our health, our position in life and society are totally dependent on the grace of God? So we have nothing to boast about or make any demands for the service or money we give to humanity or to the Church. All we have come from Him and we are simply returning a little portion of what has been given to us. This is the true meaning of giving 10% tithes in the Old Testament, and even church donations today, to remind ourselves that we are only stewards and trustees of God’s gifts. These things are held in trust for God and for His people. So we should not expect any reward.
But how is it that Jesus appears to endorse the notion of reward in today’s gospel? In fact, if we peruse the teaching of Jesus, He spoke many times of reward. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mt 5:11) To Peter’s question, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age – houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mk 10:28-30) In Mt 25 on the Last Judgment, Jesus also speaks of reward, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Mt 25:45f)
So it is undeniable that we cannot dismiss the notion of reward completely even if the reward itself is the fruit of the grace of God at work in us. We all do something with a goal, aim or reward in our mind. No one can do anything well if he or she does it meaninglessly. There must be some gain if we were to give our entire efforts to what we do. Even for priests and religious, there must be something to benefit from sacrificing our life for the service of God and His Church. We are all motivated by goals and benefits. No one gives aimlessly or sacrifices his life for others without expecting some form of reward. If the good we do make no difference to anyone or to us, why would we want to make the sacrifices for nothing? So everyone does something for some gain.
The question is, what kind of reward are we expecting? For those who do not believe in God, and especially retribution after death, what will motivate them to do good or sacrifice their lives for their country and fellowmen? Why would they want to work so hard to make progress for the nation, sacrifice their lives when all that they do would one day be undone anyway? Why should we help those who are suffering from terminal illness or take care of our elderly when they are no longer productive or even people with great disabilities? At any rate, if there is no retribution after this life, which is what these people claim, then we should simply live for ourselves, make as much money as possible, live a comfortable life, go for luxurious holidays and enjoy ourselves with our loved ones. Why should we be bothered about going out of our way to assist those who are poor and suffering? We might as well just be like the rich man in the gospel who was oblivious to the suffering of Lazarus who was outside his door, sick with sores in his body and hungry.
As the Lord said, perhaps some help the poor because they seek recognition, glory and status. They are already blessed with material things but material satisfaction cannot fulfill a person’s happiness. If animals need love and affection, we look for attention and acceptance. But if this is our goal for giving our life, our wealth and services to others, this would be all we get. This is what the Lord is saying in today’s gospel. With regard to giving, He said, “So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; that is what the hypocrites do to win men’s admiration. They have had their reward.” With regard to praying, He said, “When you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers for people to see them. They have had their reward.’ And with regard to fasting, He said, “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. They have had their reward.” When we do things to seek people’s attention, to win glory and publicity for ourselves, to boost our ego, we will always remain unhappy because we will always be dependent on the praises of others. We remain always unfulfilled because no matter how much praises and honour we receive, they will never be enough because that insecurity in us cannot be filled by man or things.
Still, those who have no faith in God might help because of humanitarian reasons. In other words, they feel for their brothers and sisters in their suffering because they were once poor themselves, or they feel guilty in their conscience that they have plenty whilst others have none. This would be a higher motive because instead of focusing on making ourselves the center of what we do, the focus is more on others. The reward we get is indirect because we give hope to the despondent, we give them courage in their suffering, we help them to see the goodness in humanity and we relieve them from physical pain and even emotional suffering because of abandonment. When we see them happy, we also feel great joy to know that the little we do could made someone happy and hopeful. The motive of humanitarian services therefore is rooted in our solidarity with our fellow human beings. But this is just the beginning. For some of us, as we help them, we also become disillusioned with society and the government because they do not seem to care for them as much as we do. And there are so many poor and deprived people everywhere. We feel exhausted, helpless, angry that we cannot help them adequately. We even end up angry with God for abandoning them.
What, then, is the ultimate goal in giving? Namely, to share in the life of God and to see Him face to face. To give ourselves is to enter into the life of God and to share in the life of Jesus, which St Paul said earlier, “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9) This is the real reward that will give us the impetus to give up all we have for the Lord and His people. Sharing in His life is to share His life of joy, peace, love and true freedom. This is why St Paul warns us, “Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap.” Indeed, “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 we live the life of God, we have already encountered Him in our hearts. So that when the time comes for us to depart from this earth, we will be more than ready to meet Him face to face as we have become familiar with Him. But for those who live for themselves, they will be too ashamed to meet God because of their pride and selfishness.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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