During the past five weeks, we have been conscientious in putting into practice what our Church has invited us to enter into during this whole Lenten Season - The Spirit of Fasting, Praying and Charity. As Christians, it is our spiritual task to remind ourselves that nothing in this world and of this world can fully sustain our deepest longings. We have to recognize and confess our utter dependence on God. During this Lenten Season culminating on Holy Week, we especially pray that God will fill us with the graces that we need to be closer to the God-Self who has continually been drawing us to their Trinitarian Love.
We surely must have practiced charity by giving and reaching out to those who are in most need. Traditionally, this has been through saving our bread money and giving them to those in need. We may have given checks to charity and even may have electronically donated money to our church. Also, we must have given up our earthly cravings or conditionings, like sweets and meat, because we crave for them and have been so much attached to them. All of these sacrifices are all good, since we do our share of returning to God what we have been given.
But there may be something more that God might ask us. Mother Theresa, I believe, showed us the core of this kind of spirit of giving. Mother Theresa said to one philanthropist who once asked her as to how she can help Mother Theresa in her works of charity. Mother Theresa then knew what the philanthropist was offering - a fund raising for her cause. Mother Theresa just gently said to the philanthropist that the philanthropist should just personally come and help, for the philantropist to give from the heart and to give and give until it really "hurts."
But there may be something more that God might ask us. Mother Theresa, I believe, showed us the core of this kind of spirit of giving. Mother Theresa said to one philanthropist who once asked her as to how she can help Mother Theresa in her works of charity. Mother Theresa then knew what the philanthropist was offering - a fund raising for her cause. Mother Theresa just gently said to the philanthropist that the philanthropist should just personally come and help, for the philantropist to give from the heart and to give and give until it really "hurts."
I believe that what Mother Theresa meant by "giving until it hurts" is that our giving should be an integral part of our action. That means to say, that Mother Theresa is inviting us to become transformed in the process of our giving. Like the "imperfect heart" in the video with all the rough edges and the deep crevices, our lives are essentially relational. We can not help but be converted our relationships! Like Christ, who has been "blessed, broken and given" so that others may live, we too are invited to become like Christ. St.Ignatius invites us to this deeper calling in our discipleship with Christ. He challenges us as to how can we come "to know Christ more deeply, to love Christ more dearly, and to follow Christ more closely" in our own lives.
Possibly, what maybe good to ask ourselves during this Holy Week are the following: Do we give away something because we know that we can gain them back or double our our investments? Do we donate, for example, because we can refund what we give out through charity? It does not have to be money that we give up. Do we give up meat, sweets and unhealthy habits simply because it is just part of our treatment regimen? In helping others, how do we give our time, our talents, our gifts and even ourselves to those in need? Do we give until it hurts?
Possibly, what maybe good to ask ourselves during this Holy Week are the following: Do we give away something because we know that we can gain them back or double our our investments? Do we donate, for example, because we can refund what we give out through charity? It does not have to be money that we give up. Do we give up meat, sweets and unhealthy habits simply because it is just part of our treatment regimen? In helping others, how do we give our time, our talents, our gifts and even ourselves to those in need? Do we give until it hurts?
God does not force us in our relationships nor force us as to how much to give. God asks us only to give from our hearts. As Mother Theresa puts it, "it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing; it is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving."
God continually invites to be closer to God, to others, to our world, and even to our own selves. May on this Easter Season, we may not only have a peace and fulfillment in our lives, but also deeper intimacies in all of our relationships, especially in our relationship with our Risen Lord!
God continually invites to be closer to God, to others, to our world, and even to our own selves. May on this Easter Season, we may not only have a peace and fulfillment in our lives, but also deeper intimacies in all of our relationships, especially in our relationship with our Risen Lord!
Happy Easter!
