A little boy was walking towards the Church for the Sunday Mass.
His mother had given him two coins: 

>> A 5-rupee coin to be dropped in the offering box in Church

>> The other to buy a sweet for himself
On the way, however, the boy was careless and playful.
Accidently, one of the coins fell from his hand…

… down went one of the 5-rupee coins into the open drain!

Seeing the coin sliding down the drain, the boy muttered to himself: 

“Oh! There goes the Lord’s coin!”

… and kept clinging stronger to his own coin!

What the little boy uttered regarding the loss of the coin…

… is perhaps a reflection of the mind of many grown-ups:

>> It is always the Lord’s money that is lost; while ours is always treasured and kept safe!

This is also a pointer to an important & noteworthy inclination in our modern generation..

…the Tendency to grab & hold on everything to oneself but avoid giving to others, especially to God! 

We are sadly…

>> Lavish in Receiving & Accepting…

… but Stingy in Giving & Offering!! 

The Gospel of the Day is a fresh challenge to this contemporary trend, when Jesus reminds:

“You have received without pay…give without pay!”… (Matthew 10:8) 

The context of the Gospel is the sending out of the Twelve Apostles to the missions. 

>> To be an Apostle and to be Sent on a Mission… is a pure Gift!

Every gift is a reminder, that we need to be Grateful to the One Who has given us! 

>> And the Lord, the Great Gift-Giver, invites the Apostles, to give freely of what they have received! 

In this process of giving, the Lord also assures that they will be provided what they need! 

So here we see a “double-edge” effect when we receive a gift from the Lord:

1. We need to, in turn, become Gift-Givers 

2. We need to Depend on the Lord, that He will provide for us! 

 

Are we ready to embrace this “Double-Edge Effect” in our lives, when we seek for blessings and gifts from the Lord? 

Every Gift from God is a Responsibility to Give…

… and a Challenge to Depend on Him!

The Book of Hosea presents God as a Loving Father, who cares for His people with much tenderness and love. 

>> The Heart of God melts with deep love and affection for His people… 
We, His Children, are just too precious to God, who is our Father…. 

>> And this Father, will surely provide for us… 
Yes, He is Jehovah Jairah – the Lord, our Provider! 

The Lord invites us, to become His Missionaries, like the Twelve Apostles…

>> Let us become gift-givers…Let us become dependants on God, our Provider!

We sometimes have reduced to becoming a generation, who give gifts, only on some special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, feast days, etc … 

>> Can we revitalize ourselves so that we can become Gift-Givers, each day of our lives…

There are many waiting for our gifts…. 

>> A sad soul, a rejected person, a broken family …

>> A sick patient, a helpless child, a frustrated office-goer…

>> A poor individual, unwanted elderly couples, confused young people…

>> An exasperated religious folk, a corrupt society, a suffering humanity …etc… 

The list is endless….

Can we become a Gift-Giving Generation? 
Let us give heed to the words of St Gregory Nazianzen: 

“Give something, however small, to the one in need. 

For its not small to one who has nothing. 

Neither is it small to God, if we have given what we could.”  

As Christians, let us be a “people of contradiction” against the trends of the modern society…

…the Tendency to grab & hold on everything to oneself but avoid giving to others, especially to God! 

>> And instead, let us be a “people of conviction”, showing the right attitude to the society…

… Having an attitude to give & share to all and depending on the Providence and Care of God!

God Bless! Live Jesus!
– Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS

  Bengaluru, India