Give

"Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. . . The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All of this I will give you, he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.' Jesus said to him, "Away from me Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' " [Matthew 4:1, 8-10].

During Lent, we Fast, we Pray and we Give. This Scripture is the source of the Lenten practice of Giving.

The devil believes that the "cure" for feeling weak, powerless and in a position of deprivation IS? POWER! Splendor and kingdoms and Material Wealth.

Have you ever met anyone who thought that whoever has the most stuff wins? The guy who has 2 houses, 5 cars, 3 boats, 3 dogs, and enough designer duds to outfit a bevy of models at Fashion Week?  Sad to say, this is a zero sum game. It is a competition that you cannot win. There will always be someone else who has more than you.

Ironically, our greatest source of "power" is in giving-- in losing something of ourselves for the sake of another.

I have had a tremendous amount of Loss in my life. No one in my young years to consistently provide for me, either physically or emotionally. A family member who committed suicide. Being raised by an emotionally unheathy mother who would behave erratically: I came home from school one day when  I was six and she had gotten rid of our family dog. When I was 13, I came home and she had gotten rid of all of my beloved stuffed animals.

In graduate school, I almost lost my life in a violent crime. From this one horrible event, I suffered the loss of my sense of safety and security--- anywhere.

In a span of two years, I have seen the death of my father, my best friend, my mother and mother-in-law.

As humans in the face of such loss, we tend to want to hoard things, to grasp onto whatever we have and hold on tight.

Instead, I live by my new motto, "The more I Lose, the more I Give."

When I Give, I am always astonished at how much I actually Gain!

In his Letter to the Phillipians, Paul said, " I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him." [Phillippians 3: 8-10].

One Lent a few years ago, I decided that instead of giving up something, I would join the Prayer Shawl Ministry at my church. I would Give. When my mother died, these were the women who gave me Mass Cards, who comforted me, who offered meals.

After my father died, all I could feel was heartbreak and loss. Somehow, I ended up with his lawn mower and some of his old tools in my basement. Mostly they were duplicates of what I already had. And terrible reminders of him. I called my house painter to see if he knew anyone who needed some tools. His helper came to pick up the lawn mower and tools. Turns out that the helper had escaped the old country with the clothes on his back. I even noticed that he had some visible injuries from his ordeal. Giving this man the old tools was a Redemption for me and a new start for him.

I came from an abusive home. After my mother died, I called an "umbrella" organization to donate some furniture and lamps from her house. I had no say as to what organization was to receive my donation. I later learned that the things I had donated went to a battered women's shelter! I told a friend, "God winked at me!"

I have shared the link to this blog and in turn, been invited to join a prayer group. From that group, I have made new friends!

The antidote to Loss is Giving! It is like medicine, like a balm for the soul.

Interested in Giving Back as a consistent life choice? Consider attending the Second Annual Bishop Peter Rosazza Social Justice Conference-- Rooted in Faith: Building One Human Family. For information, access the Office of Catholic Social Justice Ministry web site at http://www.catholicsocialjustice.org/.


God, in confronting the many losses in my life, may I find a generous face in You! May I give from the heart, and give my all, to find Your Love which heals me so deeply!

(c) The Spiritual Devotional 2011. All Rights Reserved.