Meditation for Tuesday 18th June 2013 "Brothers, we want to let you know the grace that God has given to the churches of Macedonia. In many troubles that put them to the test, their joy was boundless, and their extreme poverty has produced abundant wealth of simple generosity. They put all their resources, and even more, I am a witness, asking spontaneously, as a grace and with great emphasis, to join us to help the faithful of Jerusalem. " 2 Corinthians 8:1-3. Paul’s pride is enjoyable! What are the circumstances? The Church of God in Jerusalem (at that time, “Church” always refers to a local church, we would say today a diocese) was experiencing very difficult times, with a great famine among the population. This famine also affected Christians. Upon hearing the news, the Corinthians have decided to make a special collection to help them. But now, those who decide have been emulated and the pupils exceeded their masters. The churches of Macedonia, in their extreme poverty have yielded abundant riches of simple generosity. For the generosity of the poor is real. Because they have not, because they do not have enough to put aside, or budget, because deep down, they do not usually count, they offer with their heart and not with their head, without a second thought ... Paul took the opportunity to encourage the Corinthians. He asked them to be up to their promise, first and then take the lesson of the generosity of others. And as he relates everything to Christ, he insists: "You know, in fact, the generosity of our Lord Jesus Christ, who though he was rich, became poor for your sake, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Cor 8,9). Yes, Lord Jesus, do we still admire and imitate your generosity, so alive and present in the poor of the earth! And we often repeat that there is more joy in giving than receiving. † Emmanuel Lafont Bishop of Guyana
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:43:00 +0000
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