Breaking the Word

11^th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday – 21^st June 2023 – 2 Cor 9,6-11; Mt 6,1-6.16-18

Principle of Intent

In 2 Cor 9,7 Paul is providing the Corinthians with universal and biblical principle of intent in giving: We reap as we sow with right motives. Motive makes absolutely no difference to the farmer. If he sows good seed and has good weather, he will reap a harvest whether he is working for profit, pleasure, or pride. It makes no difference how he plans to use the money that he earns; the harvest will probably come just the same. But for the Christians, it is different: motive is vitally important. God calls on every believer to decide in his/her heart and mind how much to give. It is an individual choice based on conscience and measures a person’s own relationship with God. Our giving must come from the heart, and the motive in the heart must be to please God. The opportunity to give to meet the needs of others should delight God’s children. When it does, God is delighted in them. We must not be “sad givers” who give grudgingly, or “mad givers” who give because we have to; but we should be “glad givers” who cheerfully share what we have because we have experienced the grace of God. Certainly, God can bless a gift that is given out of a sense of duty, but God cannot bless the giver unless his heart is right. Grace giving means that God blesses the giver as well as the gift, and that the giver is a blessing to others.

11^th Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 20^th June 2023 – 2 Cor 8,1-9; Mt 5,43-48

Expressions of Charity and Unity  

In the first reading, Paul addresses the Corinthians to give graciously to those who are in need, those within the universal church. He gives them the example of the Macedonians who generously donated to the needs of others. In encouraging the Corinthians to be generous, Paul puts before them the extreme generosity of the churches in Macedonia. Thus, Paul is asking them to follow through a commitment they had previously made. They had agreed to gather funds to be given to suffering Christians in Jerusalem. At the same time, Paul, with a taint of flattery, tells the Corinthians that they are rich in many things, but he wants to emphasize that their wealth will not be complete until they are also rich in giving. He praises them for their excellence in faith, speech, knowledge and enthusiasm. They also excel in his love for them. (2 Cor 8,7). By the example of the Macedonians, Paul is not ordering them to give, but offering them a challenge and a test of the genuineness of their faith and love. Corinthians giving generously to Jerusalem church is both an act of charity and an expression of unity between the churches. Paul describes this giving as an act of grace. This grace comes as a good gift we could never earn.