Tag: <span>Charity</span>

June 5, 2021June 2, 2021

I Could Eat a House

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The scribes devour the houses of widows, says Jesus in today’s gospel. Tough phrasing. God demonstrates his tender, individual love for every human throughout Scripture by most fiercely condemning injustices to persons, especially the needy.

All the external acts of piety in the world pale in importance compared to the acts done to our fellow humans.

The archangel Rafael says as much in the first reading:

“Prayer and fasting are good,
but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.
A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness.
It is better to give alms than to store up gold;
for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin.”

And Raphael’s message about a little given with righteousness outweighing much given with wickedness is in turn echoed by Jesus in the gospel, when He points to the widow’s tiny gift outweighing the abundant excess given by the rich.

Raphael in the first reading and Jesus in the gospel appear to be finishing each other’s sentences. Using Gospel-like language, we may say that we are foolish if we have not ears to hear what they are saying. How often we Christians find reasons to found our duty outside of kindness and mercy to neighbor–for example, in having the “right” vote or preferred candidate in the political sphere.

While upright civic engagement is important, if we hear the words of Jesus, nothing is more important then self-sacrificing love of neighbor, particularly our neighbor in need.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to infuse into your heart the supernatural gift of charity, whereby your heart is truly moved and aroused by the need of neighbor, both on the physical and the spiritual levels.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

June 3, 2021May 28, 2021

The Key

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

“Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose.” So says Tobiah in the first reading.

In today’s gospel, when asked which is first among all the Commandments, Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Purity of intention: It is not a nice-to-have; it is everything. Purity of intention consists of two elements: Obedience to God’s will, and zeal for the welfare of neighbor; in other words, love of God and neighbor.

Purity of intention is not to obey the minimum letter of the law while seeking pleasures, the esteem of others, and personal, worldly glory as the top priority.

In the first reading, God heard the prayer of Tobiah and Sarah because they begged mercy of Him with sincerity of heart, with purity of intention. We can be absolutely certain of God’s care and blessings if we pray with love of God and neighbor in our hearts.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you know that charity, that is, supernatural love, is a gift, something that cannot be obtained by personal effort; ask Him to gift you this gift, and do whatever it takes to purify it in you.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

May 7, 2021April 22, 2021

Too Much to Ask?

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

We know that Jesus summed up the Commandments of God with the priority of loving God above all things, and loving one’s neighbor as oneself (cf. Mk 12:29-31).

On the evening of the Last Supper, the night before Jesus’ death, to which St. John dedicates a disproportionate amount of his gospel, Jesus makes this general Commandment more insistent, urgent, and intimate with His special friends. After telling them what it means to be His friends, in today’s gospel, He gives them His Commandment to them as friends: “Love one another.”

Later, in Jn. 17, throughout the chapter, Jesus prays for His friends: He prays that they be one, as He and the Father are one.

What is the name “Christian” supposed to mean, if not “friend of Jesus”? Thus, to the degree that we seek intimate friendship with Him, His command likewise to us is “Love one another.”

Why, over the centuries and still today, why do we Christians insist on pitting ourselves against one another? Why do we insist on splintering, dividing, separating, pointing fingers, finding fault? Why do we place our differences above our brotherhood?

Why do we do all this, when the ONE thing that Jesus asked for on the night He began His intense suffering, was that we be one in Him?

The answer: Because we treasure our pride above our friendship with Him. Otherwise, our only desire would be to strive mightily to fulfill His highest priority request–indeed, His Commandment.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Filled with sincere sorrow, ask Jesus for forgiveness for all the times when, even in your own mind, you have focused more on the faults of your brother or sister, rather than the opportunity to support them and love them as they are.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

March 2, 2021February 16, 2021

Heavy Yokes, No Help

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The first reading calls us to conversion, to return to the path of justice.

Notice, though, that it doesn’t correct the people of God for missing the small norms listed in the book of Leviticus–ritual washings, minor precepts.

Rather, the conversion to which the Lord calls the people through the prophet Isaiah is a conversion from selfish indifference, to love and charity: “Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.”

In today’s gospel, Jesus isn’t correcting the Pharisees for some brand new, novel transgression that they could not have known about from reading the Old Testament. He corrects them for the very same lack of love and charity that we see brought out in Isaiah: “They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.”

How easily we, who have a certain desire to be faithful Christians, get caught up in externals–we want external rules so as to be able to cling to some particular righteousness, so that we can put our hope in that righteousness, and feel secure in it.

It is much harder to place our hope and our security in God’s raw and unconditional love for us, and place our own salvation and righteousness entirely in His hands–so as to pursue a deep relationship with Him and a life poured out recklessly for others.

Let’s unmoor the little craft of our lives from our sense of our own secure compliance and decency, and tie it fast instead to the person of Jesus Christ, seeking to bring Him joy in everything in our life, especially through a tireless and ceaseless focus on the eternal and temporal happiness of others.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Think about the aspect of your Christian life that makes you feel most insecure, maybe even making you obsess over yourself a little. Maybe it is a particular fault, or maybe a temptation. Place that thing with all your heart in Jesus’ hands. Ask Him to free your heart to love Him and others, and to worry over yourself less.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

February 27, 2021February 10, 2021

Rain is for Everyone

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Jesus uses a beautiful comparison when He commands us to love those who are unjust, to love our enemies. He tells us that this will make us children of the 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.”

We must love the unjust and do good to them. But how do we do this good? First, we beg that same Heavenly Father, not just to send rain upon them, but also to rain extra grace into their hearts, that they may learn how beautiful that thing is that they are missing–union with God–and strive for it. A choice time to do this is when Christ’s body and blood are raised up in offering for sin to the Father at the consecration at Mass. Pray fervently to the Father at this time. Show Him His Son, and ask that by the infinite power of that Son’s sacrifice, the Father visit the hearts of sinners and convert them. He will do so if we ask, just as He answers the intercessory prayers of Our Lady, who once stood at the foot of that very same sacrifice.

But also, we must do good to those who do not do good themselves, even in little things. We should take pains to make their lives easier, more pleasant, happier in little ways. Jesus does not desire the happiness of the unjust in order that they may be converted, but rather their conversion that they may be happy. He thirsts deeply for the complete fulfillment and happiness of every human person. Even at moments when we cannot give a person that which is most valuable, we must give what we can to bring happiness in little ways–just as the Father shines His sun on the just and the unjust alike.

In the first reading, Moses proclaims great blessings to those who follow the commandments of the Lord, and the psalm says the same. Jesus’ new commandment is the Commandment of Love. Blessed are we when we follow it.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to infuse into your heart the gift of charity, a virtue that cannot be learned but rather must be received from God as a gift. Ask Him to fill your heart with the same passion for others’ happiness that fills His own heart.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

November 22, 2020November 9, 2020

King Unequaled

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

On this feast of Christ the King, we see a rich array of what Jesus’ kingship means:

In the first reading and the psalm, we see Him as merciful shepherd–a King who gathers and leads His people.

In the second reading, we see Him as destroyer and subjugator of competing powers–a King who knows no equal.

In the Gospel, we see Him as a judge who welcomes or condemns us for eternity based on our acts of charity and kindness toward others–a King who administers justice.

If there is one overall impression one can draw from these readings, it is that He is tender and kind to those who have taken up the offer of salvation He has made at the price of His own blood. As we see in the first reading, this includes those who are lost or who stray.

But He does not hesitate to cast from His sight those arrogant enough to rebuff Him with the strength of their own freedom, or who ignore His demands of kindness and mercy toward others–“the sleek and the strong” sheep of the first reading, the goats of the Gospel, “every authority and power” in the second reading.

Jesus is no milquetoast King. This should fill us with exuberant joy, hope, and confidence on the one hand, but deep concern and determination on the other: Joy in the knowledge that if we ask Him too, He will assist us in our efforts to fulfill His will and protect our eternal destiny; concern and determination to pray and sacrifice constantly that as many will be saved as possible.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Close your eyes and imagine final judgement as described by Jesus today, where He, crowned King, discerns who is to be saved, and who is to be condemned. What can you do to feed those who are hungry precisely for the salvation that He metes out in judgement? How is He asking you to participate in His merciful act of salvation? Ask Him how you can assist Him in His grand mission of bringing as many as possible to Heaven.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

November 14, 2020October 28, 2020

Judge Snivelpuss

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

You have to love Jesus’ judge in the Gospel parable. “Lest she finally come and strike me.” This guy is afraid of a little old widow coming and bludgeoning him. So, he helps her even when he doesn’t feel like it.

The image is even funnier when we see that Jesus is comparing this judge to Almighty, Omniscient, All-loving God. But the hyperbolic image is poignant precisely because of the chasm of contrast that separates the nature of this small-spirited judge and the grandiose magnanimity of our God.

We wouldn’t expect much of the judge in the parable. But if harried enough, we can expect even him to act. How much more, then, can we expect indulgence from our loving God if we come to Him insistently with our requests!

Jesus’ image points out how utterly absurd it is to fail to trust that God will fail to respond to our insistent, repeated requests. Yet how weak our trust is. We think of God as an arrogant, aloof judge who is too lofty and wise to spare time for our petty concerns, and is actually annoyed when we pester Him with them. And it is precisely this image of God at which Jesus takes aim in today’s parable–it is precisely this image that he successfully obliterates.

Mother Teresa’s work for the poor was an eloquent testimony of the goodness of God, of His concern for every human. It is not just to lawyers in suits that this good Judge will attend. He cares about the needs of every miserable creature Mother Teresa and her nuns have scraped off the streets, whether or not these poor persons knew to ask Him for help. And Mother Teresa’s nuns successfully channel His love to these souls.

Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity do not discriminate when they give aid on the basis of religion. Many of those receiving their aid are not Christian. But St. John’s letter today points out that it is also not wrong to give aid to Christians because they are Christian. There are two reasons to single out Christians and Christian causes for charity: 1) Faithful Christians in themselves become works of charity, inasmuch as their faithfulness in and of itself draws grace down from Heaven on others; and 2) Christian faith is radical and often rejected in the world, and as such Christians are particularly vulnerable. As Jesus Himself said, “And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” (Mt. 10:42)

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: We are called to trust in God’s detailed attention to our needs, His response to our prayers, and His openness for us to pray insistently even for the same needs day after day. We are also called, as St. John reminds us in his letter today, to reflect that divine benevolence in our attention to others, and in particular to care for the needs of Christians.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

November 11, 2020December 12, 2020

Thanks

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Gratitude is the awareness that we have received more than that to which we are entitled, remembrance of the person who has given it to us, and expression of appreciation to that person.

We have all had the experience of really wanting something, receiving it as a gift from someone, and rejoicing more in the thing itself than the giver–forgetting all too soon the giver’s thoughtfulness and generosity.

Lasting gratitude appears as a rare virtue. In today’s gospel, only one of the cleansed lepers–given a truly amazing, life-changing gift–returns to give thanks. The others might have been appreciative for a moment, but they have soon forgotten the giver, and perhaps the fact that their new, healed condition is a gift.

St. Paul points out one of the key effects of permanent, ongoing gratitude. In recognizing that the redemption we have experienced is a free gift from a Giver, and not some achievement of our own, we are able to treat others–including those not living the Christian life–with respect and esteem. We recognize in them that their worth is defined, not by any defect we may perceive in them, but by how God cherishes them, in His great desire to give them the gift He has given to us.

When we clearly perceive God’s intense, unmerited, and unconditional love for us, and are grateful for it, we can see how He loves others in the same way, and learn to treat them accordingly.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the gift of persistent, undimming gratitude for His gifts. Ask Him to send His Holy Spirit to give you the same love for sinners–that is, all humans–that He has. Ask Him to fill you with esteem for every fellow person on earth that corresponds to the unconditional intensity with which He loves every person.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

November 6, 2020October 20, 2020

Shortcut

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Sometimes, Scripture reminds us that Christian life is really quite radical.

In today’s first reading, Paul doesn’t specifically speak about gluttony or other sins of excess. But he does speak about those for whom “their God is their stomach,” people whose “minds are occupied with earthly things.” Christians who aren’t focused on Heaven, where our true “citizenship” lies.

But isn’t that you and I? How often we think more about what’s for dinner than whether our day has impact for the salvation and sanctification of our neighbor–or even their earthly welfare. We plan for our next vacation, the age at which we’ll be able to retire in comfort, but rarely, perhaps, is our day obsessed with using our short time on earth to prepare ourselves and others for that which matters: Eternity.

Like the dishonest steward in today’s gospel, we are squandering the Master’s property–that is, the gift He has given us of our time on earth–and if we are brutally honest, we merit the same dismissal applied to that steward.

So, what are we to do? We look around, like that steward, at the other servants around us, and we realize that they too are in deep debt with the Master. So we begin to work at diminishing their debt.

We can diminish the burden of sin which is the debt owed to the Master, to God, both by our brothers and sisters on earth, and by the souls in Purgatory. We can do so by praying and sacrificing for them tirelessly; by forming the habit of offering every hangnail, every stubbed toe, every suffering of any kind for others, that their hearts may be converted to the Lord and their sins may be forgiven.

This opportunity hearkens back to the lesson of the Our Father: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We could say, per today’s gospel, “Forgive us our worldiness, because we have spent our lives helping to alleviate the burden of sin that others carry.”

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Elsewhere, St. Paul tells us, “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5) The attitude of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, can be summed up as passionate love for His Father and the salvation and welfare of every human. In the midst of our worldliness and sinfulness, a shortcut to intimacy with Him is self-giving for our fellow persons, in line with His passionate love. Contemplate Him carrying His cross to Calvary. Ask Him why He cares so much, in the midst of so much obliviousness and ingratitude. Ask Him how you can make up for your worldliness by growing in effective self-offering to Him for others.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams

October 23, 2020September 29, 2020

That They May Be One

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Unity among Christians is not a sentimental warm fuzzy. It is a fruit of profound orientation to the welfare of neighbor, and determination to serve that welfare–on all levels, temporal and eternal–to the point of sacrifice.

When two or three persons, or a whole community, bear this attitude toward one another and share the same faith in Christ, we have Christian unity.

Jesus makes no bones about it in today’s gospel: Work for unity, or face negative consequences.

Likewise, in the first reading, St. Paul urges us to bear with one another with love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of piece.

Virtually the entire seventeenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel is dedicated to recount a prayer uttered by Jesus to the Father begging for unity among His followers, made more poignant by the fact of its utterance at the most intense moment of His life, just prior to His death.

Elsewhere, St. Paul talks about putting away the “old man” (our former way of being, before knowing Jesus and answering His call) and putting on the “new man” (the way of being characteristic of transformation in Christ) (cf. Eph. 4:22).

It is not about just “all getting along.” Rather, there is simply no characteristic more indicative of mature Christian transformation than the theological virtue of Charity, whereby the welfare of neighbor is truly as important to us as our own. It is a gift, not acquired as a habit through practice, and the sure path to receiving it is consistent time spent with Jesus in prayer and the sacraments.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Consider the Charity necessary for Jesus to leave paradise and become a little child, with the grim mission of dying for our sins. Consider that He wants for you that very same Charity in your heart. Ask Him to grant it to you, humbly acknowledging that you cannot acquire it by effort. Tell Him that you want to want what He wants for others, more than you want anything else.

Follow the Author on Twitter:
Follow @mvhaywilliams