Almsgiving and Simplicity
1. Some people are so afraid of
poverty that they rarely give alms. Let them meditate on these words of
St. Cyprian. "You are afraid that if you begin to engage in too many
charitable enterprises your substance will be dissipated and you will be
reduced to poverty. Have confidence and do not be afraid.'' (De Opere
et eleemosynis, 9-10)
That fortune will never be exhausted, he
assures us, from which the possessor draws frequently in order to
relieve Christ's poor or to perform an act of religion. He does not
assure us of this on his own authority, he says, but bases his promise
on the evidence of Sacred Scripture.
Speaking through the medium
of Solomon, the Holy Spirit says: “He who gives to the poor suffers no
want, but he who ignores them gets many a curse.” (Prov. 28:27) In other
words, the avaricious and self-centred man is more likely to be reduced
to poverty than the kind and bountiful man.
St. Paul says much
the same under the influence of divine inspiration. “He who provides the
sower with seed will both give you bread to eat and will multiply your
seed, and will increase the growth of the fruits of your justice, that
being enriched in all things, you may contribute with simplicity of
purpose.” (2 Cor. 9:10) “The administration of this service,” he adds,
“not only supplies the wants of the saints, but over-flows also in much
gratitude to the Lord.” (Ibid. 9:12) The poor thank God for the alms
which we give them and our prosperity increases as a result.
In
the Gospel Our Lord reproaches men for their niggardliness and lack of
confidence. “Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What
shall we drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’ (for after all these
things the Gentiles seek), for your Father knows that you need all these
things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all
these things shall be given you besides.” (Mt. 6: 31) The man who aims
at divine justice, therefore, will not go in want. When the day of
judgment comes, moreover, he has Our Lord's promise that he will be
given a share in the kingdom for the sake of which he performed his
charitable actions.
"You are afraid," says St. Cyprian, "that
your substance will be exhausted if you take from it in order to give in
charity. You do not realise, wretched man, that while you are afraid of
losing your substance you are losing life itself. While you are
carefully guarding against the diminution of your possessions, you do
not see that you yourself are diminishing. You love money more than
life. While you are afraid of expending your wealth for the sake of
spiritual gain, you are ruining yourself for the sake of your
possessions."
2. There are others who give generously but are
anxious to make a good appearance before their fellow-men. It is of
these that it has been written that “they have received their reward.”
(Mt. 6:2)
We should give with holy simplicity in the manner
indicated in the Gospel. “When thou givest alms, do not let thy left
hand know what thy right hand is doing.” (Mt. 6:3). Such unostentatious
generosity is more pleasing to the poor than the gift itself.
3. Let us meditate on this passage from Hermes' “Pastor:” (Cf. Vision V)
“(1) Preserve your simplicity and be good in the manner of children who
know nothing of the malice which destroys men's lives. (2) Speak evil
of nobody and do not listen to detractors so that you may not be a party
to their crime. (3) Be prudent when you are doing good, but pleasant at
the same time. Do not care about who is indebted to you and who is not,
but give simply to all who are in need from the fruits of your work
with which God has provided you. Be generous to everybody, because God
does not wish anyone to be deprived of His favours. (4) Everyone who has
received must render to God an account of his possessions. He who
receives because he is in need will be exempt from blame, but he who
receives through duplicity will be answerable for it. (5) He who gives
in charity is innocent, because he observes God's commandment in utter
simplicity without enquiring to whom he is obliged to give and to whom
he is not. The fulfilment of His precept remains pleasing to God. The
man who helps his neighbour with guileless nobility will live with God."
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