In today’s Gospel, Jesus isn’t just giving us marching orders for being disciples – He is doing that, since we are all called to be generous to the poor and those who are burdened in any way – but He is also telling us something about the human heart and mind: there is far more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.
Now, we all must be on the receiving end of good things at some point. It helps our fellow Christians to strive for what Jesus is teaching us in this passage. Jesus takes on the role of the Great Psychologist when He tells us it is far better to give than receive. This is the key to human happiness; not building and hoarding wealth for oneself, but for one to share their wealth, whether it be financial, mental, emotional, spiritual.
Not only are there many kinds of wealth and gifts, but we are also all called to use them in different ways. Those with very little financial support to give, for example, are often blessed in other ways to minister to their fellow humans. They can give emotional and spiritual support through a listening ear and through prayer. Others can teach about the Faith, and yet others can lead enormous changes in the Church.
St. Charles Borromeo, whose memorial we celebrate today, was one such person who led the charge to ensure that priests were properly educated in the teachings of the Church. He founded seminaries for men to receive formation prior to ordination.
Dear friend, if you don’t have wealth in one area of your life, assess your gifts in other areas to see how God is calling you to serve others. Ultimately, we are all meant to discover how blessed it is to give, rather than to receive.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 PHIL 3:3-8A Brothers and sisters: We are the circumcision, we who worship through the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence…
Saint of the Day
Saint Willibrord
Patron of convulsions, epilepsy, epileptics, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. First bishop of the archdiocese of Utrecht. Known as the Apostle to the Frisians.
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