Giving Alms

Today`s Readings:
First Reading: Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22. 7-8
Psalm 38
Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8

At that time Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of the grain and ate them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of the God and ate teh bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Matthew 12:7

Little acts of kindness, of mercy and compassion are pleasing to the One who gave us life. While we have our own problems, we must bear in mind that others have problems greater than our own so that it would not be difficult for us to share or help those who are in dire need.

In this day and age, why do you think there are people living in poverty (and when I say poverty, not only materially but also emotionally and spiritually)? The very existence of poverty is due to the fact that we have this "me-first" attitude. Human as we are, we always want to be on top of things, on top of the game, on top of the world, because we want to be recognized, regretting the reality that others need our attention and help to enrich their lives.

Have you ever tried reaching out to someone who needed help? Doen`s it feel very good to see their eyes light up knowing that someone cares for them? In our day to day life, there are so many others needing a generous heart and hand. Just giving a smile to a tired saleslady, thanking the security guard, talking to a streetkid for a while or praising general services personnel for a job well done makes a whole lot of difference. Even if we have our problems, even if we don not have enough, it is not an excuse for us to close our doors to those who are in dire need. Let us not turn a blind eye to those who are in need. Remember the Prayer for Generosity? To give and not to count the cost... Now, are you up for it?

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