"Do
not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly."
~~St.
Francis de Sales
"Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly."
~~St. Francis de Sales
June 16, 2021
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 367
Reading 1 2 Cor 9:6-11
Brothers and sisters, consider this:
whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:
He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
You are being enriched in every way for all generosity,
which through us produces thanksgiving to God.
Responsorial Psalm 112:1bc-2, 3-4, 9
R. (1b) Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Jn 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
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Reaping Richly
In our first reading, we're given a very important spiritual principle: What you sow is what you reap. Those who repeatedly sin against us, sowing pain (the key word being "repeatedly"), need to reap pain if they're ever going to realize that they should stop. I know this sounds harsh, but if we truly love them, we do not enable their sins. We do not make it easy for them to continue in their sins.
Likewise, by sowing our lives with good seeds, we'll reap God's abundance so that we have an abundance to share with others. Even during economic hardships! Especially during economic hardships. We cannot out-do God in generosity. So, why are we so afraid to be generous? Why wouldn't God give us more so that we can help others more?
Tithing is more reliable than the stock market, but it isn't an investment plan that we contribute to for the sake of getting back more than we put in. Tithing is God's investment in us. He wants us to realize that he's in charge of our finances. He wants us to know that he's the provider, the source of everything we need. Our time, our talents, and our ability to earn money are all gifts that God has given us so that we may have all that we need and a surplus for good works, to share the wealth.
We're all rich in various ways, gifted by God. Whether you have money or not you have much to give, much to sow.
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that serving God is done for love of God, not personal gain. Generosity is to be done with humility, not for our own glory, and not with expectations of reward. God is not into get-rich-quick schemes. God's into love! And perfect love is abundantly generous.
When we sow generously in order to reap abundantly, we're being self-centered. But when we sow generously because we love others, we reap from God's generosity. Love is the answer to overcoming the fear of being generous. Love is what frees us to be cheerful givers.
Today's Prayer
Increase, O Lord, my intimacy with You, so my good works will be spontaneous, bold and humble, to fulfill their true goal. Announcing your love while I remain hidden in You. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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