“‘…You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’” (Luke 14:14).
It is said that we should give without counting the cost or expecting anything in return…
Christ taught us this Himself… “Jesus said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbours, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’” (Luke 14:12-14).There is great joy in giving. And the joy is experienced by the giver. Recently, I spent some time with my father as he was recovering from some complications experienced after surgery. During this time, I did very little to help him, but I did spend a lot of time sitting with my laptop ding some work next to his bed, making sure that he was okay and reaching over to get him things that he needed.
He would often thank me for staying with him and for spending time with him. And I have been thinking about this over the last few days, because it seems to me that it is all backwards. You see, I believe that I got far more out of the experience of giving a little of my time to my father than he received from me.
He felt – at times – very bad that I was taking time to be with him. But I would often think to myself, that this was a time that was special for me and that the benefits to me of spending that time were far greater than any benefits he could possibly experience.
You see, those who give everything to God receive – in payment – everything. And this is how it is with the Saints. This is why Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi were able to leave everything in the world behind and live lives of total poverty and sacrifice and suffering.
Saint Clare’s vow of poverty was so profound that she never ate meat or wore shoes. So – just imagine the cold winter of Assisi, imagine the filth on the ground in the thirteenth century. Imagine the cracks in the heels of her feet. Imagine the quality of the food that she ate – rotting vegetables and the scraps that nobody else wanted.
And she did this – as did Saint Francis – because the giving was immeasurably less than the payment. For the giving was finite – these Saints gave their sacrifices during their earthly lives. But the payment was infinite – because the payment was eternity with God. And that was more important than anything else in the world.
And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about God – for it seems that nothing is too great to give…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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