“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
“Be respectful to the worthy, merciful to the poor. It is no sin to have wealth, but it is sinful to be attracted to wealth. It is the love of money, not money itself, which is the root of all evil.
Aidan, diring one Easter with King Oswald, was himself ill at east with the feast set before them. Just then a servant arrived to say that many poor people had arrived at the castle asking for alms.
Oswald with a wave of his arm ordered their own meal to be taken away and fed to the people outside, and the silver plate broken and distributed between them.
Aiden was so overcome that he exclaimed, ‘May the hand that did this never perish.’ Any society or civilization may best be judged by the way it treats its weakest members.”
Aiden and King Oswald as recounted in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 676-677.
What an amazing scene! The king not only distributed the feast to the poor seeking alms, he has his servants break up the silver plate to resource those in need.
It is vital to understand alms as going to the destitute, that is, people who could not help themselves, but whom we get to assist to demonstrate our Christian faith.
Two elements of this scene touch me. Oswald sacrificed his meal and converted a costly asset into aid for people in crisis. Imagine the impact on Aidan and others looking on.
Today I fly to Seattle to complete nearly seven years of service as a founding member of board that mobilizes Christian workers to serve as missionaries from Asia to the world.
I sit around a table with people like Oswald. They could feast in self indulgence, but instead they sacrifice and convert their wealth into eternal riches through giving.
Their living and giving inspires me. Let’s all resolve together to see the basic necessities and the wealth we possess as tools for showing God’s love to the needy.