GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER
(2Corinthians 9:7)
Rejoice in the Lord always
Fasting, abstinence, prayer and
almsgiving are the four pillars of Christian life which find their loud
emphasis during the season of Lent but they can never be ruled out of our daily
life because they are the backbone of our Christian spirituality and the sure
path to holiness of life. In fact ‘cheerfulness in giving’ undergirds all the
three pillars – fasting, abstinence and prayer. Without ‘cheerfulness’, none of
these acts have any meaning. The mark of a Christian is to be always joyful and
cheerful even in the midst of tribulations as exhorted by St. Paul: “Rejoice in
the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to
everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4: 4-7). We
must aim at this level of joyfulness in our life if we really want to be
followers of Jesus one hundred percent. It is difficult, but not impossible as all
the martyrs who went to their death joyfully have testified, including our own
martyrs of Kandhamal in 2008.
The five ways of repentance
The days of Lent keep our minds
focused on ‘repentance’ which signifies an unconditional return to the Gospel
and surrender to God’s grace however difficult it may be. The final result in
terms of the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:22-24) far outweighs the initial
pain of letting go into God’s hands, and this applies very much to almsgiving
and the generosity that should undergird it.
St. John Chrysostom (4th
century Father of the Church and Patriarch of Constantinople), known for his
spiritual writings and eloquent preaching draws a marvellous relationship
between prayer, almsgiving and repentance. Almsgiving belongs to the ‘five ways
of repentance’ or the five ‘high-roads’ of
repentance, all leading to heaven along with many other ways, but these five
are the most important and indispensable. These are the five high-roads to
repentance: first acknowledgement of
one’s sins, second forgiving the sins of others, third prayer
from the heart, fourth almsgiving and fifth humility, i.e., modest
and humble behaviour.
Christian generosity –
chapters 8 & 9 of 2 Corinthians
St. Paul provides a long
reflection on Christian generosity through almsgiving in his Second Letter to
the Corinthians (chapters 8-9). The context is the ‘fund raising’ he is doing in
the Church of Corinth to help the Church in Jerusalem which is poor. The Church
of Corinth on the other hand is rich, excelling not only in money but also in “faith,
in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness and in our love for you” (Chap 8: 7),
therefore they have to excel in generosity also, though Paul has faced opposition
to his ministry, unacceptance and divisions in this Church. Apparently the
appeal had already been made a year earlier and he is only expecting that that
the Corinthian gift to the Church of Jerusalem would be ready on his upcoming
visit to Corinth.
He begins his discourse on
generosity in Chapter 8 by placing before the troublesome Corinthians the
shining example of the Church of Macedonia. What is unique about the Macedonian
Church?
The Macedonian Church was
extremely poor themselves, yet “their abundance of joy and their extreme
poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (v. 2). They
gave not only according to their means, but beyond their means. They begged of
Paul for the privilege to take part in this collection as a mark of their
solidarity with another suffering Church, therefore the collection drive is an
“act of grace” (v. 6).
The same spirit should be shown
by the Corinthians to prove their “earnestness of others” and that their “love
is genuine” (v. 8).
Ultimately, what is the source
and foundation of Christian generosity?
It is very mystery of Christ
himself who “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you
by his poverty might become rich” (v. 9).
When our generosity is like that
of the widow who “out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had
to live on” (Mark 12: 44) we participate in the paradox that Christ embodies:
in order to be truly rich in the eyes of God one has to be poor, i.e., trusting
totally in God’s providence.
Timeless insights on and
principles of Christian generosity
Some of the timeless insights on and
principles of Christian generosity are contained in Chapter 9. St. Paul speaks
of the blessings that flow from generosity and the spiritual attitudes that
should accompany it. It does not refer merely to financial contributions but to
the heart and spirit of giving which is integral to Christian life and
community.
Paul begins by expressing his
confidence in the readiness of the Corinthian Church for the collection he is
making. He mentions that he has been boasting to the people of Macedonia about
their eagerness to help in this project. He highlights an important aspect of
solidarity here – the generosity of one Church inspires and spurs other
Churches to do the same. This is the impact one good act can have on the other
and thus influence the larger Christian community.
However, Paul is also aware of
the human frailty whereby we make commitments as an initial impulse and flag in
zeal as the days go by; therefore, he is sending the brothers ahead of him to
ensure that the gift of the Corinthian Church is ready.
What are some of his immortal
insights on generosity?
“Whoever sows sparingly will also
reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (v. 6).
“Each one must give as he has
decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion” (v.7).
“for God loves a cheerful
giver” (v. 7).
This is the core of Paul’s
discourse: all giving has to be joyful, free, unconditional, other-centered,
rooted in the mystery of Christ and with only one motive, i.e., to build up the
Body of Christ. It should not be an
afterthought or a grudging obligation but a deliberate act of love and support.
Therefore, the attitude with
which one gives is as important as the gift itself. A cheerful giver always
reflects a heart aligned with God’s purposes which is nothing else but the
advancement of God’s kingdom. As we read in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to
give than to receive”. This attitude actually builds up the character of the
giver and strengthens one’s communion in the Holy Trinity and within the
Church.
There is a beautiful result that
follows from generosity: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so
that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every
good work” (v. 8). The true outcome of generosity within the Church is not
growth in material security but an outpouring of God’s grace which enables
believers to walk the path of righteousness and live a virtuous life that
testifies to God’s Kingdom.
At the same time generosity never
goes unrewarded. This is the promise of God’s Word. The one who gives freely to
the poor will never be deprived of the material needs of life. The one who
trusts in God will always experience God’s faithfulness that makes provisions
for all our material needs.
Remember the words of our Lord: “But
seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will
be added to you” (Mathew 6:33).
The final insights on
generosity
The final insights of St. Paul in
this regard are very valuable:
-the generous are encouraged to
be still more generous in every way
-the service of love is not only
to supply the material needs of the recipients but to be filled with thanksgiving
to God on the part both of the givers and the receivers
-generosity results in the
glorification and praise of God by his Church for the confession of the Gospel
of Christ which generous almsgiving stands for
-there is prayer for the
benefactors and longing for them which signifies the bonds of love and affection
between the Churches
-the whole Church thanks and
praises God for his surpassing grace whereby giving and receiving become acts
of praise and worship.
Almsgiving is not the same as
‘tithes’ or mandated church offering or mere ‘charity’; it is a generous
offering in cash and kind freely given for the cause of the poor and needy and other
works of the Church.
What characterizes almsgiving from
a Christian perspective is its focus on the evangelical principles of human
dignity and self-respect that Christ has taught us. It reminds us how God
values all people equally and wants to have everyone cared for and loved. He
intended no one should go without their needs met. With sin, we became selfish
and violent, leading to inequality and suffering; but with the redemption from
sin that Christ accomplished for us through his death and resurrection, we have
become children of God and heirs of God’s Kingdom.
Through almsgiving we honour the
image of God in each person recognizing his/her value in the eyes of God. We
proclaim the truth that every person matters to God. We live out God’s mercy
and compassion and tangibly proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, let us remember that in
almsgiving our left hand should not know what our right is doing “so that your giving
may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mathew 6:3-4).