A person who “would give you the shirt off his back,” is a person who goes way beyond the minimum of giving. Instead, he gives “until it hurts.” That’s the basic message of the Gospel story this week as Jesus describes the giving strategies of temple goers. The rich people donate more, but it hurts less (or not at all). The widow donates much less, but it hurts more.
Generosity can be evaluated in absolute terms or in relative terms. Often times, the two approaches come up with different understandings of just how generous a person really is. Objectively, a gift of one million dollars is a very generous gift. Yet, if the person making the gift has many millions, a gift of one million dollars, in relative terms, may not be as impressive.
Jesus is not criticizing the rich people for the level of their contribution. He is not suggesting that their larger gifts are not important, or valuable, or appreciated. Everyone knows that the temple (and every parish for that matter) runs on large donations from wealthy people. There is absolutely nothing wrong with people who give from their excess. On a personal note, special thanks to all of you who give to St. Ed’s from your excess. We appreciate your support!
However, Jesus is guiding us to a higher ideal. He suggests that our level of commitment to “loving one another” should go beyond what is easy or comfortable. He wants us to know that the easy way is not always the best way. Just like He told the scribe in last week’s Gospel, Jesus may be telling us that giving within our comfort zone places us “not far” from the Kingdom. Today, He seems to say that those who sacrifice in their generosity (whether of time, talent, or treasure), are even closer to the Kingdom.
What if Jesus were to directly tell us, in no uncertain terms, that the people, “who put in large sums…from their surplus wealth,” would not make it to the Kingdom? Would St. Edward the Confessor parish or each of us individually, resist the temptation to continue enjoying this world to the fullest extent possible while giving charity out of our excess? Are we ready to give up everything in this world to actually enter the Kingdom?
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