Catherine of Siena: Love your neighbor generously

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

“You are obliged to love your neighbor as yourself, and loving him, you ought to help him spiritually, with prayer, counseling him with words, and assisting him both spiritually and temporally, according to the need in which he may be, at least with your goodwill if you have nothing else. A man therefore, who does not love, does not help him, and thereby does himself an injury; for he cuts off from himself grace, and injures his neighbor, by depriving him of the benefit of the prayers and of the sweet desires that he is bound to offer for him to Me. Thus, every act of help that he performs should proceed from the charity which he has through love of Me.”

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) in her treatise “How every virtue and every defect is obtained by means of our neighbor” in the Dialog of Catherine of Siena (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 25.

Jenni and I are learning that when we love our neighbors “from the charity” we have through loving Christ, there is blessing both directions. When we pursue them with kindness, we are often blessed with kindness in response.

Consider the example of our neighbors, Ken and Carol, whose townhouse is pictured above behind the evergreen tree. They came to our first “Second Friday” social. We started a pattern of hosting an open house on the second Friday of each month to build community in our neighborhood. Different people have taken turns hosting it monthly, and the gathering provides a great context to get to know and love our neighbors.

When Ken and Carol learned I was a biblical scholar and that I was willing to help them understand the Scriptures, they opened their heart and home to me to come teach the Bible to them. When I help them grow in Christ, they bless me with the charity they receive from God. In other words, when I love my neighbor, I am not left empty, but rather, I end up enriched!

Jenni and I have come to realize that Catherine of Siena is spot on with her comment that when we don’t love our neighbor, we cut ourselves off from the grace, prayers, and blessings that flow to us as a result of our obedience. So, following the commandment of Jesus (which is not burdensome but intended for our blessing) go love your neighbor generously and see for yourself what happens.

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Matthew 7:11

“Live for Him and not for yourself, just as He became yours and lives for you and remains yours for all eternity. You must therefore live for, praise, love, serve, and intend His eternal glory rather than any reward, comfort, savor, consolation, or anything else which could accrue to you from such behavior, for genuine love does not seek its own advantage; it thereby possesses both God and everything else, since it overcomes nature through grace.

Therefore give to Christ your Bridegroom all that you are and all that you have and are capable of, and do so with a free and generous heart. He will then give you in return all that He is and all that lies in His power. Never will you have seen a more joyful day than that. He will open for you His glorious and loving heart and the inmost part of His soul, all full of glory, grace, joy, and faithfulness. There you will find your joy and will grow and increase in heartfelt affection.”

John Ruusbroec (1293-1381) in The Spiritual Espousals and Other Works, translated by James A. Wiseman (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1985) 188.

Who is John Ruusbroec? He’s a famous Flemish saint. Remember for the first 1,500 years or so of God’s Church everyone was Catholic. During that timeframe there are many deeply committed Christ-followers who were great writers. I’ve decided to read excerpts daily from this time period for the next few weeks. I hope you are blessed by the quotes I locate.

In plain terms, Ruusbroec is saying live for God, not for yourself. Do it not for rewards in this life or the life to come, but do it out of love for Christ who gave you everything by grace. Hold nothing back and He will hold nothing back from you. What profound truths!

God, help us live according to these amazing realities, and in so doing, form in us free and generous hearts for your glory. Amen!

And may God cause our growth to be like the trees outside the front window of our townhouse (pictured above). Notice the purple leaves mixed with new green leaves. If the trees stop growing, they die, and the same holds true for our souls.

May our lives exhibit new growth each day by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24

“Many are the benefits which the soul reaps when it withdraws the heart from this joy. For beside disposing itself for the love of God, and the other virtues, it makes a way for personal humility and universal charity towards our neighbors…

Another great benefit is the perfect observance of our Savior’s words: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” Now the soul can never do this, if it has any joy in its natural endowments; for he who has, even the slightest self-esteem, neither denies himself nor follows Christ.

Another great benefit of this self-denial is, that it makes the soul tranquil, empties it of the sources of distractions, controls the senses, and especially the eyes. The spiritual man, seeking no joy, will neither look upon, nor suffer his other senses to be occupied with, these endowments, that he may not be attracted by them, nor be led to waste time or thought upon them…

These benefits issue in a final one, which is a certain generosity of mind, as necessary in the service of God as liberty of spirit by which temptations are easily overcome, afflictions are endured, and by which virtues grow and thrive.”

John of the Cross (1542-1591) in The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Chapter XXII, “The Benefits of not Rejoicing in Natural Goods” translated by David Lewis (London: LGLRG, 1864) 262-264.

I chose to read John of the Cross because a dear friend of ours who gave us a ride home from the airport yesterday, Randy Kipp, a.k.a. “The Mobile Monk,” said he was reading The Dark Night of the Soul, a classic by John of the Cross.

On this Lord’s day, let us resolve to rejoice in God alone. As John of the Cross declares, this “makes a way for personal humility and universal charity.” When we rejoice in natural goods we get distracted from living on mission for God.

Father in heaven, by your Holy Spirit, help us take this pathway, and in so doing, avoid wasting time, and be sure that “generosity of mind” is formed in each of us for your service and glory. Do this I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both. Matthew 6:24

“Whereas in his first two teachings Jesus made use of metaphors (treasure in heaven, the sound eye) that his disciples had to decode, in his third teaching he decodes the metaphor for them. His teaching begins with a thesis statement: no one can serve to masters. Next, he provides a supporting reason for his thesis: it is not possible to give both masters the same degree of loyalty and devotion.

Even if one feels an allegiance to both, one will eventually prefer one to the other. Finally, Jesus decodes his own teaching by identifying the two masters as God and money (“mammon” in many translations). Because one will always be more devoted to one master than to another, one must eventually choose between competing lords.

For those who lived in a world where slavery was the engine that drove the economy of the day, Jesus’ teaching would have made perfect sense. Masters require absolute loyalty and obedience from their slaves. Therefore, just as slaves must serve their masters with total devotion, so disciples must serve their Lord with undivided allegiance…

One cannot be wholly devoted to God if one is fully devoted to the pursuit of wealth; one must choose between the two.”

Frank J. Matera in The Sermon on the Mount: The Perfect Measure of the Christian Life (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2013) 91-92.

In the shadow of the financial capital of the world (NYC), we board a plane to head home to Denver. Here, our world celebrates the pursuit of wealth when Jesus exhorts us to serve Him instead and stockpile His resources in heaven through giving and sharing.

Consider this inspiring example.

This past Spring I spoke at a conference in Arizona. A couple I met with there said they had just hit their goal. Early in their marriage (making ordinary salaries), I learned that they had set a goal to store up a million dollars in heaven. What a heavenly pursuit! Since they still had life left in them, they resolved to keep on giving and increase their goal.

What about you and me?

Their pursuit models undivided allegiance for the rest of us.

These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Matthew 6:32

“We live in a society that teaches success as being rich and/or famous. If we talk to the average American, we might find that everyone is looking for “bigger, better, more.” There is a lack of satisfaction because there is a lack of God. This is an important element for us to consider because Jesus moves from this topic (the love of money) to the “cure for anxiety.”

From the context, Jesus sees the love of money as having more than an influence on issues of anxiety but being the root cause of it. Jesus, who created us, knows what makes us tick! He knows that if we put our ambitions, affections, and energy in the wrong direction, they will wreak havoc on us spiritually, emotionally, and physically!”

Kevin Horion in A Companion to the Sermon on the Mount (Mustang: Tate, 2012) 46.

It’s been a fantastic week at Camp Spofford.

People have come to grips with the fact that the love of money grips us with fear to keep us from living out the generous life God intends for each of us. It was not me that helped them grasp this though, it was the biblical text. Three times (cf. Matthew 6:25, 31, 34) Jesus reminds us “do not worry,” and three times he says that “everyone” who asks the Father for what they need will receive (cf. Matthew 7:7-11).

Father in heaven, forgive us for our lack of faith. Thank you for your loving care for us. Transport us from a place of havoc to hope rooted in the truth of the Scriptures by your Spirit, because without your help we will never be generous as our measure will constantly be limited by fear. I ask this with confidence in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33

“Disciples of Jesus…will seek first their Father’s kingdom and righteousness, assured that He will provide enough to cover their needs. And, industrious and honest as they may be, they will refuse to tie their lives and happiness to treasures which can be corrupted or stolen. And rich or poor, they will struggle to understand how best to please their Father by using the wealth he has entrusted to them.”

D.A. Carson in The Sermon on the Mount: An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5-7 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1978) 95.

My talks through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) have gone well this week. Thanks for your prayers. Almost done. Two days to go. Email me if you would like my teaching notes.

The adults at Family Camp here at Camp Spofford have taken hold of the keys to life in the kingdom (the beatitudes) and appear eager to follow the directions for living in the way of Jesus (the rest of the Sermon on the Mount).

One aspect of this life is using the wealth God has given each of us for kingdom purposes as one of the ways we demonstrate that we have taken hold of life in God. This requires intentional focus not to “tie our lives and happiness” to things, and only bind them to God.

Is this true in your life? Or is there some treasure that you are tied to?

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! Matthew 6:22-23

“Heavenly treasure would have been associated with light and earthly treasure associated with darkness. Collecting treasure on earth would be equated with coveting. If a person’s heart is evil and covetous, then the body will be full of darkness. The determination of the heart to store up treasure either in heaven or on earth, creates either inner light or inner darkness.

The heart that is inclined toward good works and an attitude of giving will be full of light. The connotation is that when ones’ treasure is in heaven, that person is full of an internal light that comes from within. If a person is bent toward collecting earthly treasure, indicating greed, there will be darkness rather than internal light. It is therefore, the ethical character of a person (whether he is giving or greedy) that determines whether or not the eyes function properly as a lamp. If the person has no internal light, he would not be able to operate as a lamp, and in a manner of speaking, he would not be able to see.

If we look at this from an ethical context, the eye is affected by sinfulness which causes the light to go out, resulting in a loss of lamp light. A good eye reflects generosity and moral integrity and is a result of light within. Generosity is proof of light within, and greed is proof of darkness within. In a manner of speaking, generosity is the light, and greed is the darkness.”

Steven Wickstrom in his article “The Eye is the Lamp of the Body” on Matthew 6:22-23.

This quote serves as a helpful explanation of what many describe as a confusing element of these two verses from the Sermon on the Mount. May God help each of see, and have hearts filled with generosity as proof of the light within us. Make it so, Lord, by your Holy Spirit.

So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:2-4

“It belongs to the clean eye not to look for the praise of men in any right conduct nor to associate one’s good conduct with any idea of praise, that is, doing the right thing just to please men. For if you will be disposed also to simulate good, if your only consideration is man’s praise, because he, unable to see the heart, may praise even what is false. And those who do this, that is, who simulate goodness, have duplicity in their hearts. The heart of simplicity, that is, the clean heart, belongs only to him who lives beyond human praise and in his right living looks only to Him and strives to please only Him who alone reads the conscience. And whatever proceeds from the purity of such a conscience is praise-deserving in proportion to its lack of desire for human praise.”

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) in The Lord’s Sermon on the Mount translated by John J. Jepson (Ancient Christian Writers 5; Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1978) 93.

As I teach through the eight Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount over eight sessions at Camp Spofford in New Hampshire (which had this amazing sunset last night pictured in the header photo above), I am inspired as I read excerpts from both modern and ancient commentaries like this one.

Augustine of Hippo makes a profound point here that each of us we must consider. Rather than have duplicity in our hearts, which is doing good with wrong motives, let us exhibit a lack of desire for human praise with pure hearts. In other words, let’s do good today and every day because God is watching and will reward us!

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

“Beggars lived [in the days of Jesus] in a state of absolute dependence on the graciousness and generosity of others. “Poor in Spirit” means “beggarly in spirit,” and describes someone who is keenly aware that he [or she] is spiritually destitute and must rely entirely on the grace of God for salvation.”

Charles Quarrels in Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ’s Message to the Modern Church (Nashville: B & H Academic, 2011) 43

As a beggar relies on the graciousness and generosity of others, let us declare our dependence on God today. God, help us remain keenly aware of our need for You each and every day. Amen.

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

“If you have been blessed with riches, use them in such a way in this world that you will be building up a balance in the next…You do not realize it, but in doing these good deeds to these people, you have been building up your balance in heaven, there you will receive your reward and enter into the joy of our Lord.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) in Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976) 356.

We arrived at Camp Spofford yesterday (Spofford Lake, NH pictured above) and today I begin a series entitled, “Camp with Christ: Find Blessings and Life.” Pray with me for receptive hearts as I encourage God’s people to live out the teachings of Matthew 5-7. When we do, we find blessings, life and, eternally-speaking, we build up our balances in heaven. Hear my prayer, Lord Jesus.