Scripture: Isaiah 49:15
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.
Prayer:
O God of surprises, surprise me. Give me the joy of new discovery. Open my heart to find new ways to be and new ways to love, as I remain secure in your love for me.
Intention:
Today, pray for Clara, whose funeral was held, and James, who was baptized, at Lourdes this past year.
Note: If the Scripture verse for the day feels "out of context," that's because it is! Pay attention to what God may be saying to you through the snippet, but you are also extremely encouraged to go look at the context and read more of the surrounding passages, footnotes, etc.
Why Almsgiving?
According to the Catechism, almsgiving is "money or goods given to the poor as an act of penance or fraternal charity."
Why Give Alms?
Jesus, the Son of God, was born into poverty and frequently had no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). He asserted that when we give away our goods and material possessions, we are doing it for Christ himself, for we are all the Body of Christ (Matthew 25:40). St. Paul further called out "the love of money" (not money itself) as the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), for we are attaching highest worship not to God but to mere currency.
How Much Do I Give?
The goods or treasure you offer up is dependent on your discernment. Look upon your state in life (married, single, religious) and where your responsibilities are. Gospel poverty is radical and meant to hurt as we detach from our wealth and possessions, but it's not a call to be destitute or miserly.
Do you trust God to be generous if you are generous? Put your security in Christ!
What's the Spiritual Fruit of This?
Consider these words from Rozann Lee, our Creative Director here at Word on Fire :
- "Almsgiving is never finally an effort aimed at fulfillment, at a satisfied feeling of having changed the world and made it a better place. It is not merely a philanthropic gift or a duty. It is an attempt to imitate the Incarnation in rejecting the desire to escape. It is a shaking away of indifference, a denunciation of the measuring of need in favor of simply elevating another’s need above one’s own. Not just another, actually—any other—and we can choose between the tools of time, talent, and treasure to do it."
The "happy" life is a generous and detached one. Watch this clip from the award-winning series Catholicism with Bishop Barron: