giving out and giving in
"He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully." —2 Corinthians 9:6
Lawrence gave the wealth of the Church to the poor, who were the real wealth of the Church. He did it cheerfully even though he would soon be martyred for his act of faith and generosity. Lawrence lived God's word by sowing bountifully and cheerfully (2 Cor 9:7). He could do this because he had died to self.
Why are we tempted to sow sparingly, to keep some money for ourselves? Why don't we sow cheerfully? Joy is not based on what we have but on how unselfish we are (Phil 4:4-5). The hardest thing to give is in. When we give to the Lord's kingdom, are we only giving out or are we giving in? Giving out means dispersing funds; giving in means surrendering our lives to God as we die to self.
Jesus made it very clear that we must deny our very selves if we are to follow Him (Lk 9:23). He said: "I solemnly assure you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12:24). Give as Jesus has given to you. Jesus commands us: "Give in" (Mt 3:15).
Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me so much as to give Your Son to die for love of me (Jn 3:16).
Promise: "He will multiply the seed you sow and increase your generous yield." —2 Cor 9:10
Praise: St. Lawrence gathered the lame, the blind, and the orphans and called them the "treasure of the Church."
Reference: (Give in to Jesus by reading the Bible daily. For encouragement, order any or all of the following tapes: Ignorance of Scriptures is Ignorance of Christ, AV 82-1, V-82, How to Pray the Bible on audio AV 82-3 or on video V-82, How to Read the Bible on audio AV 46-3 or on video V-46, Principles of Bible Interpretation, audio AV 79-1, video V-79.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 8, 2010
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