The Taste of Charity
Meditation
for Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
(1Kg 17:7-16;
Mt 5:13-16)
Let us meditate on the encounter between Elijah and the
widow of Zarephath. The woman’s act of kindness sheds light on the nature of
charity that attracts divine providence. Indeed, charity is an economic
principle that is less recognized as such, because we often see it from the
point of view of giving away. The act of charity supplies more than it gives
away!
Elijah was in need, and God sent him to a widow who was
equally in need. The woman lamented about her situation to the prophet, saying,
“As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in
jar, and a little oil in a pitcher; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks,
that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and
die.” With this situation, she had every reason not to listen to any demand on
her. Being a widow, she had no one to come to her aid. And having made up her
mind and laid out her plan, she did not consider any act of charity. Of course,
the situation at hand did not warrant any giveaway! The demand for charity
often breaks forth, and challenges our routine plans.
The prophet’s demand sounded as harsh as the hunger that
ravished the land at that time. He said to her, “Fear not; go and do as you
have said; but first make a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward
make for yourself and your son.” The sound of the demand for charity often
rings as if the person asking for help does not understand what you are going
through. Even if he understands your situation, the mere fact that he is asking
you for help implies that he places his own needs above yours. And this can
evoke resentment. That is why it is difficult to be charitable, and to persevere
in charity unless guided by the grace of God.
Then, Elijah said to her, “For thus says the Lord the God
of Israel, ‘The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the pitcher of oil shall
not fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” We see that
the prophet was not selfish in his demand, but equally desired her wellbeing. There
is no room for selfishness in charity, both from the giver and the receiver. But
human beings by nature are inclined to selfishness. That is why genuine charity
can only be sustainable under the higher authority of the word of God. Inspired
by the prophetic message, the widow responded swiftly.
At this point, charity becomes an act of faith; and faith becomes
the motivator of charity. Genuine charity descends on the receiver as ‘prayer
answered’, and opens up the giver to divine providence. That is why charity uplifts
the heart and floods it with divine sweetness. By this the words of Jesus in
the gospel of today comes alive, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt
has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” As salt brings out
the taste in the different ingredients in a pot of soup, so does charity bring
out sweetness in our lives, relationships, families, and society at large. It will
brighten your day, and your jar of oil will never run dry. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Tuesday June 7th, 2022.
