“The most glorious of their works [that is, the works of the Church] is to show mercy, always offering generous help for every grief and distributing alms to the poor with a gentle heart while saying with their whole soul, “This is not my property, but that of Him Who created me.” And this work, inspired by God, is before His eyes in Heaven, when by the teaching of the Church it is done among the faithful on earth.”
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) Benedictine abbess and Christian mystic, in Scivias 2.3.3 on “The Church is adorned by the priesthood and almsgiving.”
God does see the works of the faithful done on earth. A beautiful picture of this surfaces in Acts 10:4 with Cornelius. His prayers and merciful gifts to the poor were described as a memorial offering before God. What does God see from heaven when he looks at your life and mine?
Perhaps a good starting place for all of us is to resolve to share the view of possessions that Hildegard promoted in the dark ages in which she lived: “This is not my property, but that of Him Who created me.” That’s a critical first step toward offering generous help with a gentle heart.