When we give alms from our surplus wealth, we are obeying the Lord and pleasing Him. "Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving" (Tb 12:8). "Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life" (Tb 12:9).
Alms-giving can become alms-living, that is, we can give not from our surplus wealth but from all that we have "to live on" (Mk 12:44). In alms-living, we give "our very lives" (1 Thes 2:8). We give our souls (see Is 58:10 in the Hebrew, Douay-Rheims, and KJV).
When we give ourselves and not just something from ourselves, our giving enters a new dimension. When we become the gift, the gift becomes a sacrifice. Even a little sacrifice is worth more than gifts of sizable amounts (see Mk 12:41-43). Sacrifices have greater power than gifts. They can be used by the Lord to save "one from death and" expiate "every sin" (Tb 12:9).
God desires and deserves much more than gifts. He desires sacrifices. He even sacrificed His Son on the cross. Give sacrificially. Sacrifice your life to the Lord. "I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God" (Rm 12:1).
| PRAYER: | Father, make my life a sacrifice of praise (Ps 50:23). |
| PROMISE: | "Turn back, you sinners! Do the right before Him: perhaps He may look with favor upon you and show you mercy." –Tb 13:6 |
| PRAISE: | Fred expressed his devotion to Jesus through Mary by joining the Knights of the Immaculata and committing to regular intercession and eucharistic adoration. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College