Didache: Let your alms sweat in your hands

If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Deuteronomy 15:7-8

“The are are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways. The way of life is this. First of all, you shall love the God who made you. Second, love your neighbor as yourself. And all things you would not want done to you, do not do to another person.

Now the teaching of these words is this. Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you. For what credit is it to you, if you love those who love you? Do the people of the nations not do the same? But you should love those who hate you, and you will not have an enemy. Abstain from the desires of the flesh and of the body.

If anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other cheek to him also, and you will be perfect. If anyone compels you to go one mile, go with him for two miles. If anyone takes away your coat, give him your shirt also. If anyone takes away what is yours, do not demand its return, for you cannot.

To anyone who asks something of you, give it to him, and do not ask for it back, for the Father desires that gifts be given to all from His own riches. Blessed is he who gives charitably according to the commandment, for he is blameless. Woe to him who receives. If a needy man receives charity, he is blameless, but anyone is not in need will be called to account for why he accepted it.

And being imprisoned, he will be interrogated concerning his actions, and he will not be released until he has repaid every last penny. Indeed, it has also been said: “Let your alms sweat in your hands, until you have discerned to whom you will give.”

Didache (c. 50-120) or The Teachings of the 12 Apostles to the Nations 1:1-6 (Zeeland: Legacy Icons, 2013).

If reading the Didache sounds like the Gospels it is because this work is widely describe by scholars as the early church discipleship manual. It’s also a great place to start to consider the connection between generosity and our neighbor.

We must treat people the opposite of what the world expects. We manage this by abstaining from the patterns of behavior related to our flesh and body. And notice how generosity appears as sharing possessions and giving charitably.

The one who shares with everyone follows God’s design for handling His gifts and is labeled blameless. And then the last phrase really struck me. “Let your alms sweat in your hands, until you have discerned to whom you will give.”

As we start the new year, I pray that all those who have more than enough resources for living will have their surplus sweat in their hands until they have discerned whether to share it with a neighbor or give it charitably to a ministry.

Blessed is he who gives charitably according to the commandment, for he is blameless.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:25-29

“Some people think that their neighbor is their brother, family, relative, or kinsman. Our Lord teaches who our neighbor is in the Gospel parable. of a certain man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho… Everyone is our neighbor, and we should not harm anyone. If, on the contrary, we understand our fellow human beings to be only our brother and relatives, is it then permissible to do evil to stranger? God forbid such a belief! We are neighbors, all people to all people, for we have one Father.”

Jerome of Stridon (c. 347-420) in Homily on Psalm 14 as recounted in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture

Happy New Year! This year I have decided to explore the connection between generosity and our neighbor. That means my word for the year is neighbor.

When a lawyer asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus responded to love the Lord and love his neighbor. The lawyer gave an unforgettable reply, “Who is my neighbor?”

We will start by asking Jerome to answer the question. The early Church gave him the title doctor and many ancient voices testified that he was the greatest of the doctors in clarifying the meaning of the Word.

So, how does Jerome answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” He states it plainly. “We are neighbors, all people to all people, for we have one Father.”

That said, when you think about your generosity, do you think about it going to certain people or all people? Ponder that as the new year begins. I pray that in 2024 we all grow in our generosity to everyone.

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5

“Look then on Jesus, the Author and Preserver of faith: in complete sinlessness He suffered, and at the hands of those who were His own, and was numbered among the wicked. As you drink the cup of the Lord Jesus (how glorious it is!), give thanks to the Lord, the Giver of all blessings. May the God of love and peace set your hearts at rest and speed you on your journey; may He meanwhile shelter you from disturbance by others in the hidden recesses of His love, until He brings you at last into that place of complete plenitude where you will repose for ever in the vision of peace, in the security of trust and in the restful enjoyment of His riches.”

Raymond of Penyafort (1175-1275) in Letter as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 688.

I just finished this book. It had 1,620 readings from saints through the centuries in it. I only posted a handful of them. Their witness inspires my work, and I hope they also bless you.

This collection also exposed me to new saints, like Raymond today. He was a Dominican friar. Unlike, monks which ministered out of a monastery, friars served in society to strengthen the Church in the world.

It makes me wonder if I should have labeled myself the Generosity Friar instead of the Generosity Monk as I minister around the world, but 2024 marks 15 years with the latter title so there’s no turning back now.

On this, the last day of the year, three things touched me from the last reading in this book.

Firstly, Raymond calls us to give thanks to the Author and Preserver of our faith. Let’s do this. Let us pause to give thanks for God’s blessings to each of us in 2023. Make a list then give an offering of praise and gratitude.

Secondly, for our journey we see the God of love and peace set our hearts at rest, speed us on our journey, and shelter us in the “hidden recesses” of his love. It love this word picture as it implies nothing can touch me in the hidden recesses!

What setting at rest, speeding along, and sheltering has God done for you in 2023? As you anticipate the new year, thank Him for the comfort of His love in the highs and lows of the past year.

This reflection should strengthen you for the road ahead and relates to the last piece, which gives us hope. Thirdly, we can anticipate that someday He will bring us to a place of complete plenitude.

So, from a place of gratitude, I invite you to make a year-end gift to GTP here to help activate a major grant. As the need sits around $136,000, join me in trusting God to supply by His grace and through His people. Thanks.

Will you not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Psalm 85:6

“When we think of ourselves, we are perturbed and filled with salutary sadness. And when we think of the Lord, we are revived to find consolation in the joy of the Holy Spirit. From the first we derive fear and humility, from the second hope and love.”

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) in Sermons 5 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 539.

Soon everyone will be talking about their resolutions for the new year. I want to encourage you to change the narrative from resolutions to revival.

As Bernard rightly notes, “when we think of ourselves, we are perturbed and filled with salutary sadness.” We will have regret and want something more.

This leads people to a cycle of making resolutions, which often fall by the wayside in days or weeks. So, what should we do and how does this relate to generosity?

Bernard keenly says to think of the Lord. Focus on Him. By the power of the Holy Spirit you will be revived, you will move from fear and humility to hope and love.

This hope and love then comes into view as generosity. We live differently because we have been revived. We know we are loved and cared for so we show that love and care to others.

If you want to grow in generosity in 2024, if you want to abandon the making of resolutions and get revived, then block more time to think about the Lord.

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:12

“First, let me say that we have already received from God the ability to fulfill all his commands… When we use this ability in a right and fitting way, we lead a life of virtue and holiness… The virtue that God asks of us is the use of the same powers based on a good conscience in accordance with God’s command.”

Basil of Caesarea (330-379) in Rules as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 538.

People often ask me, “How much should I give?” To that question, I always reply, “How much do you have?” I say this because the right and fitting use of any resources which are perishable is to put them in play or use them.

You would not keep fruits or vegetables on the counter for a year, would you? The same is true with material wealth. And this brings up an interested example that happened yesterday.

A friend of GTP learned that our remaining need to activate the major grant was still $140,000 by 31 December 2023. But he has a liquidity problem. In the past, he could transfer $10,000 or more to GTP.

But at this time, his funds are tied up in assets. So he acted in a “right and fitting” way. He offered the use of one of his assets. Let me explain. This is a fun story.

If you click here, you will see an amazing villa in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s not just any airbnb. It has 16 beds in 7 rooms with 6 bathrooms. Enough for a multi-family gathering or a board retreat.

As a special opportunity, he has offered it for a week to the first ten people who send $5,000 to GTP and tell me they accept his offer. Of course, your don’t get a tax deduction as you receive the benefit in return, but you are able to help GTP.

The offer is good for the next 6 months or so, or from now until the summer. I checked and a week (7 days and 6 nights) in April or June goes for more than $10,000 for a week. If you are interested, act now.

You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22

“In His kindness, our Lord wished to strengthen your faith… He also wished to listen to your prayer, and so He ordained that you experience poverty, distress, abandonment, weariness, and universal scorn… God alone knows the reason for all this, yet we cannot recognize three causes. In the first place, our blessed Lord is telling you that He desires to include you among His beloved sons… for this is the way He treats His friends and makes them holy. The second reason is that He is asking you to grow continually in your confidence in Him alone and not in others… So if you have been endowed with faith and hope, He will do great things for you; He will raise up the lowly… Now there is a third reason. God wishes to test you like gold in the furnace. The dross is consumed by the fire, but the pure gold remains and its value increases… If then you remain constant in faith in the face of trial, the Lord will give you peace and rest for a time in this world, and forever in the next.”

Gerolamo Emiliani (1486-1537) in Letter as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 684.

Today’s Scripture represents one of those verses we don’t tend to think much about. Jesus promises that we will experience hatred because of our association with Him.

I appreciated today how Emiliani approached this in his letter. He explains that this scorn has a purpose which is our continued growth and the strengthening of our faith.

Do you feel like you are being tested? I know I feel this way, often. Faith is like a muscle: the more we use it the stronger it gets, but also the bigger the challenges get.

Stand fast. This ensures that your generosity will stand the test of the refiner’s fire. “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

Why reference this verse? It’s not if you will be tested but when. Jesus neither needs nor wants you and me to do good things for Him. He wants us to let go of everything else and everyone else.

Remain constant. Put your trust in the One who raises up the lowly. He will do great things for you. And you will come forth as gold and find peace and rest, now and forever.

Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

“Above all, he who preaches peace and unity did not want us to pray by ourselves in private or for ourselves alone. We do not say, “My Father, who art in heaven,” nor “Give me this day my daily bread.” It is not for himself [or herself] that each person asks to be forgiven, not to be led into temptation or to be delivered from evil. Rather, we pray in public as a community, and not for one individual but for all.”

Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258) in Lord’s Prayer as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 672.

As the year draws to a close, our tendency is to take personal stock, to make sure I have enough for myself or my family or even for my local church. We don’t tend to think about the larger body of Christ worldwide.

In some places, the global church is persecuted. Elsewhere she is starving or thirsty. In most places she lacks stewardship training because missionaries brought the gospel but left nationals dependent on outside support.

I invite you to pray the Lord’s prayer afresh with me. At the heart of us you find today’s Scripture. Read it ten times thinking of those in need in the majority world and praying it in community with them.

As a gift, if you want to grow in your understanding and practice of generosity in community, click here to download the PDF of the 30-day devotional book that Travis Shelton and I wrote entitled, Community.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. Psalm 9:18

“Some say Boxing Day originated with the practice of giving cash or durable goods to the less fortunate — the lower classes who were busy taking care of the higher ups on Christmas day.

Others say it was the practice of giving tradespeople — people who called regularly during the year, such as the milkman — monetary tips or food items.

Yet an older legent is that Boxing Day started the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches during the Christmas season. The contents of the alms boxes were they distributed amongs the poor…

The holiday’s roots can be trace to Britain where this holiday is also known as St. Stephen’s Day. It is also celebrated in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Today the holiday has evolved into an extension of Christmas. It’s antoher day to spend with the family and have a wonderful English roast dinner, while watching English football or having some family fun.”

Jessica Faust and Jacky Sach in The Book of Christmas: Stories, Poems, and Recipes for Sharing That Most Wonderful Time of the Year (New York: Kensington, 2002) 8-9.

Interesting how times have changed. The holiday once know for caring for the poor has sadly become another day to take a break from work, enjoy family, eat a feast together, and watch sport.

Don’t get me wrong. I hope my Aussie mates enjoy their Boxing Day Test (famous annual cricket match in Melbourne). And I trust my friends in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand enjoy special day too.

But, coupled with the fun, the fellowship, and the feasting, I hope they remember those in need. Our human tendency is to forget the needy and focus on ourselves. Notice how the tradition changed over time.

It went from opening alms boxes to giving tips to people who provide regular services to giving workers who had to work on the holiday a day off and a proverbial bonus in a box.

What I see in this progression is that the church started as the hub of giving and distributed it to those forgotten by society. History tells us the church became corrupt linked to money.

The corruption in the church contributed to the shift from the church aiding the poor to the individual serving as the dispenser of gifts. In time, the people just shared a tip or bonus with those who served them.

So, regardless of where you find yourself in the world today, if you celebrated Christmas yesterday, I want to invite you to open the alms boxes and share with the poor today by making a gift a local charity or to GTP.

Why GTP? GTP multiplies faithful stewards and mobilizes peer accountability groups (like ECFA in USA) to build trust and grow local giving in 133 countries. And notice the connection between trust and giving.

In the history of Boxing day, when trust eroded in the church, it caused people to give only through personal trust relationships, namely, people they knew. GTP helps churches and ministries follow standards to rebuild that trust.

In 2024 we have invitations to help form coalitions to launch peer accountability groups like ECFA in USA in Hong Kong, Albania, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ireland, Cayman Islands, Nepal, Czechia and Slovakia.

GTP plans to aid the needy, not with handout that creates external support dependency, but with a hand up to build them as disciples in places like China, Malawi, Ukraine, and India in the new year.

And to activate a major grant we need to hit our year-end funding target. The current need is $166,433. Please take a moment today to open the alms boxes and make a Boxing Day gift to GTP. Click here to give.

We not only grow faithful and generous stewards among the poor. Our work in teaching church and ministry workers to follow consistent standards in administration and governance rebuilds trust and local giving.

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Matthew 10:7

“The Lord is near, have no anxiety. The Lord is always near to all who call upon His help with sincerity, true faith, sure hope, and perfect love. He knows what you need, even before you ask Him. He is always ready to come to the aid of all His faithful servants in every need. There is no reason for us to be in a state of great anxiety when evil threatens, we must remember that God is very near us as our Protector.”

Ambrose of Milan (339-397) in Sermon 92 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 685.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.”

Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) in The Prayer of Saint Francis: A Message Of Peace For The World Today by Leonardo Boff (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2001).

I received an email from National Christian Foundation yesterday that referenced this prayer. I checked and, remarkably, I had never posted it as a Daily Meditation in 14.5 years. So, I did some research.

Boff explains the history of this prayer and how it was attributed to Francis.

In short, it was said to embody the Franciscan rule of life from Scripture and their ideals for living out their faith. As it summed up the way of thinking and living, it was posted widely with his picture. From there it stuck as his prayer or his prayer for peace.

Consider how this relates to Christmas and to you and me.

It’s Christmas eve. The waiting is just about over. Soon the angels will proclaim the words of today’s Scripture. They will share the good news of peace on earth made possible through Jesus who had come to save humankind from our sins.

We who have been saved, have been saved for a purpose.

Francis would likely concur that our purpose is to serve as instruments of the peace of Christ. Read the prayer again. Make it your prayer today. So that the reason Christ came will be fulfilled in your life and through your living, giving, serving, and loving.

Happy Christmas eve. Now go be an instrument of the peace of Christ.