Giving Uncomfortably

     One of the lessons from today's Gospel concerning Jesus' multiplication of the loaves and the fishes (Jn 6:1-15) is that the Lord has chosen to work through our gifts and our sacrifices to bless and sustain humanity. In order for God's love and power to be fully manifested in our lives and our communities, we must be willing to give beyond our surplus; beyond what our minds tell us is sufficient or reasonable.

     We must give uncomfortably because we are the heirs to the most uncomfortable gift of all: Jesus' death as a ransom for our sins. If Christ had simply given us His intellect, He would have been like the  prophets who preceded Him. But Jesus didn't stop giving when the giving began to hurt. He continued to give amidst the flogging and the heckling, all the way to Calvary. Jesus gave uncomfortably because He loves us uncomfortably. The love of God cannot be tempered despite our grievous faults and sins. God wants us to seek His forgiveness and allow Him to pardon our sins.

     In the feeding of the crowd, Jesus nourished thousands through a miracle. But it would be a terrible oversight if we did not acknowledge that it was a boy's great offering that supplied the initial food that Jesus blessed and multiplied. I say that the boy's offering was great not because it was large in volume but rather it was all that he had to offer and he gave it without holding anything back for himself. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus makes special examples of men and women who offer gifts or offer themselves uncomfortably. For example, in Mark's Gospel, Jesus comments to His disciples about a woman who put a penny into the treasury, Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living. (Mk 12:41-44)

     Why does Jesus ask us to give uncomfortably? One reason is that giving to the extent that we need to make sacrifices demonstrates our faith in God's providence. As Jesus told people who came up to Him asking for His forgiveness or healing power, it is faith that saves. We do not show our faith in God when we give only when we have a little extra money or a little extra time. That kind of giving is often to appease our own conscience or to show our charity to others.  How much more powerful is the choice we can make to routinely give to the point that we might not be able to spend so much time or money on entertaining ourselves. What if our giving meant we skipped a night out or even a meal now and then, if it meant we could provide food or clothing for someone who goes without most of the time?

     Ultimately, we should all try to be a little more uncomfortable when it comes to our giving because through our offerings God's grace is permitted to enter our lives and our neighborhoods all the more. Most of us have some understanding that God works in the world through people, yet many would be happy if it were others who were the instruments and they were allowed to just sit back and listen to the music. This strategy holds humanity back, just like an orchestra would be held back if the strings decided to let the brass section carry the load by itself. Some of us are called to give more in gross terms. Some takes vows to give all their possessions, while others give their lives for the Church. Whatever God calls us to give, we know that it will cause us discomfort in some shape or form. We can be consoled with the knowledge that the discomfort is only the byproduct of us carving out a greater place in our hearts for God.