Meditations

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a large crowd went along with Him. As He approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.”

Then He went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help His people.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. Luke 11:11-17

“Jesus crosses paths again with a crowd of people. He could have passed by or waited until they called Him. But He didn’t. He took the initiative, because He was moved by a widow’s sorrow. She had just lost all she had, her son. The evangelist [Luke] explains that Jesus was moved. Perhaps even showed signs of it… Jesus Christ was not, and is not, insensitive to suffering…

Christ knows He is surrounded by a crowd which will be awed by the miracle and will tell the story all over the countryside. But He does not act artificially, merely to make an effect. Quite simply, He is touched by that woman’s suffering and cannot keep from consoling her. So He goes up to her and says, ‘Do not weep’. It is like saying, ‘I don’t want to see you crying: I have come on earth to bring joy and peace.’ And then comes the miracle, the sign of the power of Christ who is God. But first came His compassion, an evident sign of the tenderness of the heart of Christ…

We should ask our Lord to give us a good heart, capable of having compassion for other people’s pain. Only with such a heart can we realize that the true balm for the suffering and anguish in the world is love, charity. All other consolations hardly even have a temporary effect and leave behind them bitterness and despair.”

Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) in Christ is Passing By (Strongsville: Scepter, 1974) 166.

As we continue following Christ to see His generosity and follow His example, we come to the miracle of the healing of the widow’s son in Nain.

If you recall, the context has Jesus walking along with with his newly-picked ordinary people as disciples and with them and in front of a crowd, we see this display of compassion coupled with the miracle of healing.

We might be tempted to say, but how can I bring the same healing? How can I exchange brokenness for blessing or turn grief into generosity? The answer is not to try to solve problems with money but lead with love.

Remember, the apostle Paul tells us this. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[a] but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3

So where does our money and our resources come into play? After the compassion. Notice Jesus first was moved, then he acted. When we lead with love and then put to work what we have, God can do the same miracles through us.

If you don’t believe me, then I challenge you to do this. Move toward the brokenness in your context with love. Then once you meet the grief and pain, face to face with love, use what you have to minister and see what happens.

Remember, in these last two months of the year we do not want to overlook the needs of those around us but attune to them, bring love to them, and whatever resources we can muster, and trust God to work.

Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:4

“To live charity in a way that becomes ever more refined and heroic, it will be necessary for us to apply this approach right down to the smallest and least important details of daily life… At times it will mean taking real interest in what people are saying; at other times it will be putting aside our own personal concerns so as to give our attention to the people we live with. It will mean not getting annoyed about what are really trivia, not being touchy, making people feel welcome. We will have to help others in a way they may not notice but which lightens their burden, to pray to God for them, for example, when they are in need, to avoid having a critical spirit towards them and always to be grateful to them… All of these things are within the reach and scope of each one of us… If we give attention to little things, we will live each day to the full, and will know how to fill each moment with the sense of preparation for eternity.

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 529.

My wife will appreciate this one, and my children and extended family, too.

It’s easy to give insufficient attention to those around us. It’s called taking them for granted. That phrase actually means “to fail to properly appreciate someone or something often as a result of overfamiliarity.”

Fernandez rightly challenges us to to include “attention” as part of our giving to those around us.

For those of us with room to grow in this area, let’s aim for “refined and heroic” living. Let’s lean into what it means to “give attention” to those around us in the last two months of this year.

Let’s do this so our family really feels like we are fully present with them.

And as today is All Saints Day, the day we remember those who have gone to be with the Lord, let’s live this way (as Fernandez alerts us) to prepare for the fellowship we will enjoy together for eternity.

When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Luke 10:8

“Our spirit of mortification normally consists in specific little sacrifices throughout the day: keeping up a persevering struggle in our particular examination of conscience, sobriety at meals, punctuality, being pleasant to people, getting up on time, not leaving our work for later even though we find it difficult and trying, having order in our work, and taking care of the tools or implements and materials we use, being grateful for whatever food is put in front of us, not allowing ourselves whims and fancies.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 528-529.

When I train workers around the world, at least once when we are together for a meal and I am enjoying the food they chose for us to eat, I cite this verse. It’s intentional mortification that brings people together.

I may or may not be in the mood for the food they put in front of me, and if they ask me, I pass on raw onions, but it’s important to eat what people put in front of you. Why?

Food brings people together. Eating the favorite food in someone’s home or local eatery is like sharing part of their life and culture. Part of our mortification is going with the flow and not being picky about food.

Fernandez describes this as “specific little sacrifices” which over time we realize are not small. It’s why Jesus urged people to dig in to whatever food was offered with gratitude. Bon appetit.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Revelation 3:15-18

“One of the most obvious warning signs that we are starting on the path of lukewarmness is that we give little value to the details of the life of piety, to details in our work, and to little specific acts of virtue: if we ignore these symptoms we end up paying little attention to big things as well… Love for God on the other hand is shown by our inventiveness, by our unremitting zeal, and our effort to find in everything an occasion for showing our love of God and for giving service to others.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 527-528.

One of the biggest concern for stewards I serve around the world is lukewarmness. As they age, they move to passivity and personal comfort rather than inventiveness.

God sees when we give unremitting zeal to the little tasks in life. He not only sees, He smiles because our giving service to others shows His love to the world.

Notice in today’s Scripture, that Jesus wants the church in Laodicea to go from a place of wretchedness and poverty to abounding in goodness and true riches.

They likely quit valuing, as Fernandez puts it, the little specific acts of virtue and focused on accumulating wealth. Many fall into this trap. Don’t let it be you.

Aim at inventiveness. Focus not on what you can’t do because of what you don’t have and think how can use the possessions you have to show your love for God and others.

And value the life of piety, but not for piety’s sake. It’s not like piety get’s us brownie points with God. It a formational journey. We grow on the way.

And to grow in generosity, we need to give value to the life of piety and give service to others in a way that glorifies God. This appears as gold refined by fire.

“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?” Zechariah 4:10

“What is small, is small: but the one who is faithful in small things is great.”

Augustine of Hippo in On Christian Doctrine 14, 35.

Someone asked me recently when I find time to write. The key is not to find big blocks of time but to maximize small windows of time each day toward the goal of getting a finished manuscript.

Zerubbabel had a job to do. The prophet proclaimed that He would rebuild the foundation of the temple. Sounds like an impossible task! Where would he start? Trusting God, of course, and doing the work one step at a time.

Think about it. Whether God calls you to write a book, rebuild a temple, or do anything. It’s really a call to take small steps. Your most generous contribution in the lives around you is to be faithful in small things.

Today’s my mom’s birthday. She’s great because her whole life has been a series of small tasks, and she’s nailed them faithfully. Happy Birthday Mom! Thanks for setting a great example for everyone who knows you.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

“Great opportunities to serve God seldom arise, but little ones are frequent. Understand then that the one who is faithful over a few things will be placed over many. Do all things in the name of God and you will do all things well. Provided you know how to fulfill your duties properly, then ‘whether you eat or drink’, whether you sleep or take recreation or turn spit, you will profit greatly in God’s sight by doing all these things because God wishes you to do them.”

Francis de Sales in Introduction to the Devout Life III, 34.

After one of my staff members saw me preaching on at a large church in Seoul, he said this to me. “Gary, someday I want to preach at a large church like that. How do I get the opportunity?”

I said almost the same words as Francis wrote here. “Great opportunities to serve God seldom arise, but little ones are frequent. Understand then that the one who is faithful over a few things will be placed over many.”

This young staff member was the first believer in his village in Nepal. He has evangelized the entire village. Soon he may be the first person ever to receive a PhD in English in his country. So I added this.

Prakash, you will preach on larger stages. You will do even greater things than I have done. You need to focus on doing every task, big or small, with precision and excellence, and the God who sees will reward you.

This rings true for everyone reading today. Do little things well. God will give you greater opportunities over time. Related to giving, make many faithful small gifts. You will profit greatly and see your giving grow.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5

“There is no one colder than a Christian who is uninterested in the salvation of others. You must not use your poverty as an excuse. The widow who gave her mite will accuse you. Peter himself said, ‘Gold and silver have I none’ (Acts 3:6). And Paul was so poor that he often suffered hunger and was lacking in what he needed to live. You must not use as an excuse your humble background. They too were humble, of modest background. Nor should your lack of knowledge be an excuse. They were unlettered men. Slave or fugitive, you must do what you can. Such was Onesimus, and be mindful of his vocation… Do not use your poor health as an excuse. Timothy was frequently ill… Each of us can be useful to our neighbor if we do all we can.”

John Chyrsostom in Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 20.

We live in times when we have too many distractions that capture our interest and leave us uninterested in doing all we can and making the most of every opportunity in interacting with ‘outsiders’ or those not yet part of the community of faith.

And we also allow our limitations to serve as hindrances. If that’s you, I want to challenge you do have mindset change. Don’t focus on what you cannot do because of what you don’t have but focus on using what you have and making that your gift to God. I want to offer a personal story to illustrate this.

In October 2009 (15 years ago this month), I bent over to put my pants on and that act was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. I fell to the floor writhing in pain having suffered a massive herniation extrusion of my L5/S1, and the disk material when down my spinal column leaving me with stenosis.

In plain terms, like toothpaste out of a tube, my disk material went down my spinal column and pressed against the nerve root, which caused the pain. After the incident, only about 60% of the messages would make it down my leg. It left me with a limp. Since then I have not been able to do cardio, eat as much food, or play sports.

But I thank God for this thorn that happened at 40 years old. With the prognosis of successful surgery at only 50/50, it led me to take inventory of my life. I chose to let go of many things and to chose to use the parts of my body that worked completely for God, such as my mind.

I went on to finish my PhD in the UK by 2013. That changed how I used my time and my capacities. So, in the 15 years I have written 15 books. And as for activity, I walk. That’s it. I love to walk a field with our dog, a stream with a fly rod, or a path through life with people.

Let me conclude my story and this post by saying this. The decision to have mindset change, to go from self-absorbed and uninterested in the lives of others to doing all I can is not a one-time decision. It’s a daily choice. This choice has kept me posting Daily Meditations, now for 5,578 days in a row.

Stop what you are doing. Right now. Stop. Take inventory of what you have. And now, to the best of your ability, spend yourself for God. Don’t focus on what you don’t have – money, health, position – focus on what you have and use what you have for God in a manner that is useful for your neighbor.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

“Our Lord did not comment at all on the many people who contributed large amounts. But Jesus saw a woman come up who was dressed in the typical garb of widows, and who was obviously poor. She had perhaps waited for the crowd to thin out before depositing two small coins there…

If anybody had been keeping a record of the offerings made that day in the Temple, he would probably have thought it was not worth recording this widow’s contribution. We see in fact that this was the most valuable contribution of all!

It would be so pleasing to God that Jesus called together His disciples, who were scattered around the place, so that they might be taught the lesson to be learned from the widow. Those tiny pieces of copper could scarcely be heard falling into the treasury box. Jesus however clearly perceived the love of this woman who said nothing but who was giving God all her savings…

In this passage of the Gospel, we also learn the true value of things. We can turn everything that happens, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, into something very pleasing to God. And because it is pleasing to Him, it is turned into something of great value. Only those things we make pleasing to God have any true and eternal value.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 524-526.

As we continue to follow Jesus, we discover that little things are not little – “no matter how inconsequential it may seem” – our small gifts given with great love and sacrifice are pleasing to God.

Recently, I was training a Christian worker from a poor country. He asked pointedly, “What difference do my small gifts make?” I explained that Christ looks not at what we give but what we don’t give.

I elaborated that when Jesus celebrated the widow’s gift, He emphasized that she put in everything she had to live on. It was not the size of the gift, but her willingness to sacrifice that He celebrates.

This inspires me to challenge everyone reading this to “turn everything that happens, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, into something very pleasing to God.”

Take note of the small spaces in your schedule. Look at the little things in your life. Consider how giving that extra time or putting those remaining resources to work, could produce much fruit.

And put a smile on the face of Jesus.

Speaking of smiles, I have a smile today too. Today’s a special day for our son and his wife. It’s Sammy and Emily’s fifth wedding anniversary. Wow, how time flies!

We plan to give them our evening and credit card so they can enjoy a special date night. Of course, this returns to use the precious gift of grandma and grandpa time. Not a small thing.

And [Jesus] asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Matthew 22:20-21

“Caesar looks for his own likeness, give it to him. God looks for His own likeness: give it back to Him. Do not cause Caesar to lose his coin because of you. Do not cause God to lose His coin among you.”

Augustine of Hippo in Commentary on Psalm 57, 11 as cited by Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 503-504.

As we explore this powerful response of Jesus, the words ‘give back’ stand out to me.

Jesus wants us to demonstrate responsible citizenship on earth while living our lives wholly and completely for Him. Since God owns everything, including us (remember He purchased you and I with the blood of Christ), we get to give our lives back as living sacrifices.

This runs contrary to worldly thinking which beckons us to live for ourselves, to keep as much of the money we earn for ourselves, and to contribute as little as possible to the advancing the gospel as well as the common good.

I am not saying stewards should not minimize their taxes to maximize their giving. I am merely urging us to see everything as belonging to God so that “He does not lose His coin among us.”

In plain terms, if we say we belong to Him but we don’t look like Him, He loses His coin among us.

Father in heaven, in a world filled with toxic ownership and entitlement thinking, we want to live out faithful stewardship and generosity. Help us give back by reflecting your likeness in all we say and do, by the power of the Holy Spirit we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch Him in his words. They came to Him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” He asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at Him. Mark 12:13-17

“Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to catch Him out in His speech, so they might bring an accusation against Him. With this end in view, they asked Him maliciously whether it is lawful to pay the tribute to Caesar or not… They wanted to see Jesus taking sides, letting everybody know whether He was in favor of this Roman tax or against it… If our Lord were to say ‘yes’, they would be able to accuse Him of recommending collaboration with the Roman power, a foreign denomination which the Jews hated because it was imposed on them by an invading force. If He answered ‘no’, they would be able to accuse Him of rebelliousness against Pilate, the Roman authority.

To come down either in favor of the tax or against it would mean, after all, that He would be telling them whether He approved of or rejected the lawfulness of the politico-social situation in which the Jewish people found themselves. Whatever He said, He would appear either to sympathize and collaborate with the occupying power or to encourage the latent rebelliousness of the Jews… Jesus does not evade the question, but by His answer expresses it in its true terms. The State should not elevate itself to the divine level, and the Church should not take sides in temporal affairs which are constantly changing and which are of no more than relative importance.

By replying as He did, He showed His opposition as much to the Pharisees’ widespread error of the day about a messianic mission that was political, as He did to the error of the Roman State’s – or of any State’s – interfering in religious matters. By His answer, our Lord clearly establishes two separate and distinct spheres of competence… As Christians, therefore, we must never fall into the mistake that Christ Himself was so careful to avoid: of uniting the gospel message, which is universal, to a particular political system – ‘Caesar’.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 498-500.

As we find ourselves in election season in the USA, this text and lesson seem fitting to ponder over the next few days as we think about generosity in a world filled with political debate and diverse opinions.

Let us be generous with our carefulness not to connect the universal gospel with a political system. That may sound odd, but it emerges in my mind as the message from the Lord for us today.

Notice, Jesus finds Himself in the presence of some really smart people, in what we might describe as a no-win situation. We learn what to do in such situations by watching Him and taking good notes.

He does not join the fight for one side or the other or attach the gospel to either side. He rises above the debate. That’s what we must be careful to do in divisive times to preserve and advance the gospel.

And we must follow the example of Jesus who both demonstrates carefulness and renders everything to God. May this example help each of us in human interactions and our generosity over the next two weeks in USA.