Giving a Good Measure

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During one of the sessions of the deacon’s retreat on Oct. 5, Father Augustine Hilander, OP addressed giving to those who ask; his words have provided me with much food for reflection.

Now, the moral obligation to care for the poor is a tenet found in all major religions; in Christianity it goes back to the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 15, for example, says that if one of your kinsmen is in need, “you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand to him in his need. Instead, you shall open your hand to him and freely lend him enough to meet his need.” Jesus emphasized this teaching numerous times, and the Catholic Church encapsulates this instruction in a call for all of us to undertake Corporal Works of Mercy.

None of this is new to me, but I have to admit that I’m not always a cheerful giver. Rather, I have much in common with the rich young man who went away sad because he did not wish to give all his possessions to the poor even though by doing so he would gain eternal life. I do tithe to my parish and to the diocese, but only from my want, not from my need. Every time I’m asked to give more than what fits neatly in my budget, I squirm. I wonder whether unexpected expenses will pop up, as has happened several times already this year, draining my contingency fund. I’m similarly miserly with my time and attention, because many times when I go home at night I have no energy to devote to anyone’s concerns but my own.  

Fr. Augustine gave me a new way to look at things. Although he was talking to deacons, who are ordained ministers of the Church, I think his message applies to anyone living a Christian life.

Those who tithe receive in return, though not what they give, he said. “You get back God and Jesus; you get back teaching.”

Now, I’ve always known that the small check I give my parish each month helps pay for the building, the electricity, the priest’s salary and all the other bills that contribute to the existence of the parish where I attend Mass, but I’ve never considered that for my tithe I receive Jesus in the form of the Word and the Eucharist.

In return for giving to the poor I am participating in God’s plan for salvation and taking a step toward holiness. I also am freeing myself from the slavery of attachment to things of this world. Talking about this, Fr. Augustine referred to the Israelites who, having been into the desert by Moses, yearned to return to their fleshpots in Egypt even though it meant going back to slavery. If a person does not give to the poor, Fr. Augustine said, “You are slaves to those cucumbers in Egypt, you are slaves to those nice, steaming meals, to silver and gold. … You do not need to be slaves in Egypt. Give to the poor. Open wide your hand.”

In regard to my feeling as though after a day of work I often have nothing left to give of my time and talent, Fr. Augustine had some encouragement. Again, he was talking to deacons when he said, “God is your portion and your inheritance,” but that line comes from the psalms, which doesn’t apply only to ordained ministers.

If God is your inheritance and your portion, “this allows you, then, to truly give of the Lord,” Fr. Augustine said, “because if you think that you have to give of yourself, it will always be less, but if you think you have the Lord’s gifts, there will always be more.”

Jesus promises this, Fr. Augustine reminded us: “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Luke 6:38)

Marie Mischel is editor of the Intermountain Catholic. Reach her at marie@icatholic.org.