(Proverbs 3:27-34; Lk 8:16-18)
As we go about our activities this week, let us bear in
mind the message from the Book of Proverbs today. It reminds us of the urgency
of charity; that we should be prompt and decisive about rendering help to our
neighbors. Charity is practical love. It is probably the most challenging
virtue, and the very one that testifies to the existence of other virtues. How can
one judge promptly and accurately whether to perform a certain act of charity? The
Book of Proverbs says, “My son, do not withhold good from those to whom it is
due, when it is in your power to do it…when you have it with you.”
Think about such a man who is prompted to perform an act of
charity. Such a person must be ready to give, in fact, he ought to desire to give
even before the demand is made on him. For such a person, charity becomes the
satisfaction of a hidden hunger for the good of others. Sometimes, it comes
like an irresistible urge. In a way, we can say that the ‘demand for charity’
is itself equally in the heart that gives. This is where charity can be prompt
and satisfactory, and bringing joy to both the giver and the receiver.
Such promptness to charity is timely and timeless. As light
shines out at the same time it is ignited, so is the promptness to charity that
the Book of Proverbs teaches. Charity is a light to the soul. Hence, the first
reading warns against obstacles to charity, which includes hatred, envy,
desire for violence. But uprightness and humility make the light of charity glow. As we go about our activities, let us be on watch out for moments when
the urge for charity will pop up, and respond promptly. It brightens and
uplifts the heart. To achieve this, we must avoid lifestyles that tend to
obstruct the illumination of charity, for they also slow down its promptness. Jesus
said in the gospel, “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or
puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the
light.” Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday September 19, 2022.
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