Reading 1
2 Cor 8:1-9
We want you to know, brothers and sisters, of the grace of God
that has been given to the churches of Macedonia,
for in a severe test of affliction,
the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty
overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
For according to their means, I can testify,
and beyond their means, spontaneously,
they begged us insistently for the favor of taking part
in the service to the holy ones,
and this, not as we expected,
but they gave themselves first to the Lord
and to us through the will of God,
so that we urged Titus that, as he had already begun,
he should also complete for you this gracious act also.
Now as you excel in every respect,
in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness,
and in the love we have for you,
may you excel in this gracious act also.
I say this not by way of command,
but to test the genuineness of your love
by your concern for others.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that for your sake he became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
146:2, 5-6ab, 6c- 7, 8-9a
Responsorial PsalmR. (1b)
Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, my soul!
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 5:38-42
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Meditation: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
“The abundance of their joy and their profound poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” (2 Corinthians 8:2)
If someone is experiencing poverty, wouldn’t you expect him to rein in his spending and conserve his resources? If he is hurt or suffering in any way, wouldn’t you expect him to rest, nurse his wounds, and rebuild his strength? Instead, Paul tells us that the faith and joy of the Macedonian Christians overflowed in generosity—they even begged for the privilege of helping!
In his letter, Paul gives a key for understanding such unstinting generosity. “They gave themselves first to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). You can just imagine them praying: I’m yours, Lord. All that I am and everything I have comes from you and belongs to you. How should I use the resources that you have entrusted to me? Because they prayed with this kind of openness, they didn’t object when God asked them to give generously to the church in Jerusalem during a time of famine. This involved great trust on their part. They had to believe that God would take care of their needs if they gave priority to the needs of other members of the body of Christ.
How did the Macedonians find the grace to respond in this way? Again Paul gives us an answer: “You know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). It wasn’t just Jesus’ example that prompted them to be generous. It was his life within them as well.
How generous are you when you come face-to-face with the needs of others? Perhaps you count up your resources and see if you can spare a little after you’ve taken care of your own priorities. That’s a good start. But maybe the Spirit is nudging you to make it more personal and more self-sacrificing. Come before the Lord and ask him to help you see him in the faces of his needy children. Bring the resources he has given you and try to make them all available for his use.
“Father, I know I can never outdo you in generosity. Open my eyes and my heart to the needs of all your children.”
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