Today’s Scripture passages are full of practical advice, some delivered in well known adages. One that we ought to take to heart as essential in these days of closures leading to unemployment is a snippet from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. It says:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 COR 9: 6-7)
Because of working from home, I find there’s less money spent on gasoline. By not participating in “normal” activities, even like shopping or going to the occasional movie, most of us are not spending as much money on anything except food. That calls us in a more direct way to sharing with the poor. Even in situations where our regular bills come due and we might not have more to spend, we still need to turn our attention to those for whom this time of COVID-19 is most devastating to see what we can do to alleviate their distress.
For me, the italicized clause in the text is the most important and a way to grow into our best selves. Grumpy givers might almost as well stay home…although there’s always the chance that the act of giving will be transformative in itself. It isn’t just a question of money; it’s about so much more: awareness, generosity of self and openheartedness, of course! I say to nay-sayers: “Try it! You’ll like it!”
The 2,000 years of Christianity have been punctuated with reminders of our duty toward “the poor among us.” The verse that begins today’s readings is clear. Paul says: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 COR 9:6) We would do well to meditate on the actions of St. Lawrence, whose feast is today, as we consider this Scripture text. He was a deacon in Rome during the early days of Christian persecution about whom almost all of the little that is known is legend. There is no birth date and a question mark follows the printed date of his death (d. 258?). He is remembered, however, as the story goes, for his actions when he was commanded to bring all the holy vessels that comprised the riches of the Church to the prefect (governor). He agreed but asked for three days to put together an inventory of what was valuable. When the prefect returned, Lawrence had gathered “a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons and put them in rows…[and] simply said, ‘These are the treasures of the Church.'” (
