MONDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2023
MONDAY OF THE THIRTY FOURTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME A
Daniel 1:1-6,8-20
Luke 21:1-4
CHRISTLIKE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY AND OFFERING
We know that God demands our generosity and offerings. We are sometimes obliged to give and offer ourselves and our material possession. We may tend to do such as a duty or as an obligation and we may end up doing this with such mundane spirit that brings no reward from our God.
Today, the church in the readings teaches us the mind of God as regards the right spirit of generosity and offering and that which God desires, appreciates and accepts. We find in the Old Testament how the offerings of Abel and Cain became a type of competition and God accepted that of Abel’s while rejecting that of Cain.
We can testify that many Christians especially Catholics offer to God with the wrong spirit and disposition. Our offerings in the Church and even our charity to others tend to be forced and seeking human acclamation and praises. We want our offerings to be announced, to boast and massage our ego. We want our offerings and givings to be recognized by the priests and others in the congregation. But we fail to evaluate ourselves and ask the basic question, of what use is that announcement and publicity is to us?
The question of what we offer to God is yet another great point that Jesus calls our attention to. What do you offer to God? Is it commensurate with the blessings as given you by God or commensurate with ones endowment and giftedness?
In the first reading, the Jews selected to live and serve in the palace of the king chose to keep to the tenets of their religious obligations and refused to be defiled by the food from the kings table. They chose an austere food of vegetables with water alone. They mortified themselves and counted the kings food as nothing to give them nourishment and life. They preferred vegetables and water alone to the rich food of the kings table.
Their appetite for rich food was quenched. Their pleasure for the sweet wine and sumptuous meal was removed from their minds. They instead chose ordinary vegetables and water. But more importantly, they trusted in their God to provide them strength and work the miracles of fattening them from this vegetable and water.
When we forget ourselves in the bid to be loyal, faithful and dedicated to our God, we are never disappointed by our God who grants us healthy mind and body and sustains our lives even better than anything on earth.
The widow equally sacrificed all her life earnings to be able to offer to the treasury of the temple. Jesus praised her generosity and offerings. The contrast Jesus makes here is worth noting. That this woman who gave just two coins gave more than all others who gave even more than she did. Because she gave all her life earnings and all that she had.
Our offerings and donation are most times from our waste, our surplus, our needless and worthless gifts. What we consider not too useful for us, what we take as not torching our lives or shaking our reserves. Sometime, we offer something that we do not need actually. Most times it may be even the dirtiest, the most ugly and even the most torn or worn out. These are despicable offerings that we give to people and to God. Jesus condemns such offerings.
We must give what hurts us. We must give what must take away from us and what pinched us most. It must show our faith, our loyalty and our trust in God. We must display faith when we give to God. Our donations and offerings must be budgeted and given to God ungrudgingly. We must give from what we need, from what will and must be a sacrifice. Our giving must be sacrificial.
Generosity or offering without sacrifice is null and void. It must show our faith and deny ourselves of other things we may want to have. We must make serious sacrifices like Daniel and his companions or like this widow. That is the true spirit of donations and offerings which every Christian must possess and live with.
Father of all creation, you have been generous to us with good and healthy life, with material abundance and happiness of soul. Grant that we may never be stingy with your blessings and gifts. Like the poor widow, give us generous sacrificial heart of love always to give without counting the cost, with great faith and loyalty. May our giving earn us peace of mind and eternal rewards through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
