A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45
“Whoever has this knowledge, let him lament and weep with me. For the chosen children of God frequently take God’s body, receiving it in a holy manner. But I have to go to my chapter room accompanied by my burning conscience.
Then my unworthiness comes and chides me. Then my indolence comes and accuses me. Then the frivolousness of my personality comes and points out my capriciousness to me. Then the wretchedness of my useless life comes and saddens me. Then fear of God comes and scourges me.
Then I crawl forward like a tiny worm on the ground and hide myself under the grass of my many various omissions all my days. There I sit and cry to heaven: “O merciful God, grant me that I might today share in the grace that your chosen ones have now received.”
Thereupon our Lord replied: “Take two golden pennies that weigh the same and go shopping with them. If they are of equal value, they are equally good.”
“Alas, dear Lord, how can my wretchedness be equal to your goodness? For I am not the person who could well offer you honor. I have nothing that is suitable for you, and for consolation my soul clings to worthless nothings in the world. And so I am rejected, alas, corrupt. I am not at all what I have long desired to be.”
Our Lord said, “With good will and holy desire you can make good whatever you want.”
Mechthild of Magdeburg (1207-1282) in Mechthild of Magdeburg: The Flowing Light of the Godhead (Classics of Western Spirituality; Paulist Press: Mahwah, 1998) 280.
We can bring good out of our hearts, we can exhibit generosity, because of God’s work in us. Because we share in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Most of us, however, know how unworthy, indolent, frivolous, and wretched we are, so we think we can’t play a part in the work of God around us.
We crawl along like a worm. Notice what Mechthild says at that point. That God sees us and wants us to take the two gold pennies he gives us and go shopping with them.
That means that even though we may feel we have little, we can do good things with them. What do you have? What can you do with what you have to spread God’s goodness?
“With good will and holy desire you can make good whatever you want.” This is true because, as Jesus put it, a good person really can bring good things out of the good stored up in his or her heart.
Even if you only have two pennies, and you have been corrupt and not what you have long desired to be, you can do a lot of good. Go do it.