Gregory the Great: Call to mind the gifts

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him. Job 13:15a

“It is a great comfort in tribulation if, in times of adversity, we recall the gifts our Creator has given us. Nor will overwhelming sorrow break us, if we quickly call to mind the gifts that have sustained us.”

Gregory the Great (540-604) in Job as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 665.

As we approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, it may not be a joyous occasion for everyone. Seriously, think of every person you know who has experienced tribulation, adversity, or sorrow this year. Now imagine their pain at this moment.

Send them a note, a text, or an email. Help lift their sights to our Creator. Share the grace you have received in hard times. And remind them that when we “call to mind the gifts” that God has showered upon us, that have sustained our lives, it helps us hold on to hope.

And if you want a gift to share with them, download the ebook called Flourish. Jenni and I wrote it with our friend Linda Maris. Download it here (along with other ebooks for free from GTP) in English, Ukrainian, and Russian. Share it with anyone you think needs help holding on to hope.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

“Why He should ask us to pray, when He knows what need before we ask Him, may perplex us if we do not realize that our Lord and God does not want to know what we want (for He cannot fail to know it) but wants us rather to exercise our desire through our prayers, so that we may be able to receive what He is preparing to give us.

His gift is very great indeed, but our capacity is too small and limited to receive it. That is why we are told: Enlarge your desires, do not bear the yoke with unbelievers. The deeper our faith, the stronger our hope, the greater our our desire, the larger will be our capacity to receive that gift, which is very great indeed.”

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) 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) 662.

Exercise. We must exercise our desire through prayer to grow our capacity to receive. This positions us to grow in generosity. Ponder that. If faith is like a muscle that only grows when we exercise it.

I am getting a workout right now. Perhaps you feel the same way. Waiting on the Lord is stretching!

My current situation as President & CEO of GTP has really got me exercising my desire through prayer. And then as I think about it, I realize that my faith needs to grow to prepare me for the rigorous program work in 2024.

Where are you right now? Are you waiting for a gift but God needs to grow your capacity first?

If so, join me in prayer. It grows us. “The deeper our faith, the stronger our hope, the greater our our desire, the larger will be our capacity to receive that gift, which is very great indeed.”

While my focus has been asking God to supply provision to GTP, I am learning to pray for God to grow my capacity to receive through prayer. The exercise is changing me. I pray it shapes you too.

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on the lowly state of His servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name; indeed, His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of His child Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, according to the promise He made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Luke 1:46-55

“Let Mary’s soul be in each of you to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Let her spirit be in each to rejoice in the Lord. Christ has only one mother in the flesh, but we all bring forth Christ in faith. Every soul receives the Word of God if only it keeps chaste, remaining pure and free from sin, it’s modesty undefiled. The soul that succeeds in this proclaims the greatness of the Lord, just as Mary’s soul magnified the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior.”

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) 645.

I know one of the things I am getting for Christmas. I can’t wait to get it in my stocking. I am getting a 1000 lumen rechargeable flashlight.

What does this have to do with today’s post or our generosity? Hang with me. As I ponder the incarnation with the saints, I look at Mary.

Her soul magnifies the Lord. That means with all of her body and spirit she wanted to make the Lord bigger, to bring Him into the light so all could see Him.

She was an ordinary girl chosen by God to accomplish an extraordinary task. She set aside her plans for her life and embraced God’s mission for her.

She had to remain chaste, pure and free from sin, keeping her modesty undefiled, as Ambrose notes. She had to set herself apart for God’s purposes.

When we do this, we are like a 1000 lumen rechargeable light. When it is charging, it is like Mary, set apart for a purpose and remaining pure.

Then, when the time comes for it to do it’s job, it will shine. It will magnify whatever is shines on. That’s my prayer for each of us, to have souls and spirits like Mary.

You are on this round ball called “earth” for a purpose, to magnify the Lord. Use every ounce of your strength and every penny of your resources for that purpose.

And then set yourself apart to allow God to recharge you daily so you bring 1000 lumens to the dark corners and difficult places of the world.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

“Now there are many kinds of wealth and a variety of grounds for rejoicing; every man’s treasure is that which he desires. If it is based on earthly ambitions, its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched. But those who enjoy the things that are above and eternal rather than earthly and perishable, possess an incorruptible, hidden store… Through these, with the help of God’s grace, even earthly possessions are transformed into heavenly blessings.

It is a fact that many people use the wealth which is either rightfully left to them or otherwise acquired, as a tool of devotion. By distributing what might be superfluous to support the poor, they are amassing imperishable riches… What they have discreetly given cannot be subject to loss. They have properly placed those riches where their heart is; it is a most blessed thing to work to increase such riches rather than to fear that they may pass away.”

Leo the Great (c. 400-461) 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) 624.

As you come together on the grounds of rejoicing on the holiday known as Christmas, remember to choose the blessed rather than the wretched path.

Setting our affections and desires on earthly things will only leave us empty. Setting them on things above will always leave us enriched.

And when we focus on storing up as much as possible in heaven, we not only discreetly and properly place it in the most secure spot; wealth becomes a tool of devotion.

On the wretched path, that means wealth becomes a tool of destruction. We must not let that happen to us. Instead, we resolve to show our devotion through our generosity.

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14

“Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearance nor from the mental gifts they seem to have received. On the contrary, if you consider the poor in the light of faith, then you will observe that they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor… Since Christ willed to be poor, he chose for Himself disciples who were poor. He made Himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty.

He went so far as to say that he would consider every deed which either helps or harms the poor as done for or against Himself. Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor…It is our duty to prefer service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible…”

Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) in Letter 2546 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 607.

Jesus has visited the house of Pharisee for a meal when He says these words. Consider the implications. He’s with someone who has given his life to knowing the Scriptures and following them to the letter.

In that setting Jesus say not to invite not family, friends, and rich neighbors to such gatherings. He says to bless those who cannot repay you. And He personally promises to repay those who do at the resurrection of the righteous.

Vincent echoes this and adds color to it. These people will be rough and unrefined. Their appearance or mental gifts will not draw us to them. Think about it. Jesus chose a manger over a mansion. He willed to be poor.

So I want to issue you a challenge this Christmas. Estimate how much you will spend on family, friends, and giving to your rich neighbors, that includes your local church as most churches have abundant resources. Look at that amount.

Now look at how much you are spending to build up and help out those who cannot ever repay you. Some poor might be local to you. Others may represent the least of these in the poor corners of the world.

Don’t the give them a hand out that creates dependency. Give them a hand up that builds disciples. Notice, Jesus does not say to give them a bag of food. He wants you to invite them in and treat them like family.

Join me and GTP in serving majority world workers. They are poor. When we serve them God sees. We treat them like family and they go from crying for help to running locally sustained ministries not dependent on outside support.

Want to meet some of them? Join me for GTP Monthly Global Prayer Hour tomorrow at this link at 3am Pacific / 4am Mountain / 5am Central / 6am Eastern Time on Wednesday 20 December 2023 at this link. Meeting ID: 820 2592 7614. Passcode: PRAY.

And I promise you this. If you include GTP in your year-end giving by clicking here, which resources us to build up 6,706 stewards in 133 countries, you can expect repayment at the resurrection of the righteous.

And pray with us for God to supply $173,000 to activate that 5-year, $1.25 million capacity building grant from 2024-2028. The need was $250,ooo, a few weeks ago so we are making progress, but we have a long way to go.

And so cool, a worker we trained in our “When Money Goes on Mission” courses this last month was so grateful, she and her husband pitched in $50 from Belize. Gifts have come from 25 countries.

Don’t rise to the challenge because I said so. Do it because when Jesus was at a festive party, He gave us these clear instructions. Give generously. Help the rough and unrefined who cannot repay you. Join me in treating them like family.

Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. Proverbs 3:28

“Not even night should interrupt you in your duty of mercy. Do not say: “Come back and I will give you something tomorrow.” There should be no delay between your intention and your good deed. Generosity is the one thing that cannot admit of delay… The grace of a good deed is doubled when it is done with promptness and speed…

Let us visit Christ whenever we may; let us care for him, feed him, clothe him, welcome him, honor him, not only at a meal, as some have done, or by anointing him, as Mary did, or only by lending him a tomb, like Joseph of Arimathea, or by arranging for his burial, like Nicodemus… or by giving him gold, frankincense, and myrrh, like the Maji…”

Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390) in Sermon 14 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 600-601.

As we ponder the intersection of generosity and the incarnation, Gregory exhorts us to have no delay and adds eloquently that “the grace of a good deed is doubled when it is done with promptness and speed.”

Let’s think about that in light of the biblical characters he mentions.

Mary did not hesitate in anointing him. Joseph and Nicodemus acted fast when it was not popular. And the Maji saw the start and made haste to bring their gifts to the newborn king.

We must ask ourselves: Do we delay or do we act with such promptness and speed?

As the CEO of a ministry that largely serves poor Christian workers worldwide, I identify with those in need. At GTP, we have learned not to give them handouts which create dependency but a hand up to build them up as a disciples.

Please give generously locally, without delay, and consider GTP in your global giving.

Our year end need was over $250,000 weeks ago and now is closer to $184,000. We praise God for the progress and yet the need is still great. Click here to give. Join us in prayer for people to give with promptness and speed.

Remember, if we hit this target it positions us to activate a $1.25 million 5-year grant in 2024. It’s huge.

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

“Peace, dearest brethren, rescues man from servitude, provides him with the name of a free man, changes his identity before God together with his condition, from a servant to a son, and from a slave to a free man. Peace among brethren is the will of God, the joy of Christ, the completion of holiness, the rule of justice, the teacher of truth, the guardian of morals, and a praiseworthy discipline in every regard. Peace lends strength to our prayers; it is the way our petitions can reach God easily and be credited; it is the plenitude which fulfills our desires. Peace is the mother of love, the bond of concord, and the manifest sign of a pure soul, one which seeks to please God, which seeks to be fulfilled as has its desire rewarded… Love peace and all the world will be tranquil and quiet.”

Peter Chrysologus (406-450) in Peace as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 565.

Peace appears as central to the celebration of the incarnation. Prophets described Jesus the Prince of Peace. Angels sang of him as the One who brings peace to earth. So how does this relate to generosity?

We need to love peace. if and when we do, it will strengthen us and bless all those we touch. We will bring peace to the spheres of people and settings in life where God has placed us.

We will, like Jesus with the incarnation, bring the peace to the places God sends us.

Pause to ponder. How am I bringing peace (or the opposite of peace) to my family? To my neighbors? To my community? To my world? If Jesus brought peace to earth, we can bring it to the place God has situated each of us.

Father, teach me what it means to love peace. Do this so that, by the power of your Holy Spirit, I can bring peace to those around me. In your mercy, hear my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name; indeed, His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. Luke 1:49-53

“Mary attributes nothing to her own merits. She refers all her greatness to the gift of the One whose essence is power and whose nature is greatness, for He fills with greatness and strength the small and the weak who believe in Him.”

Venerable Bede (672-735), a monk at the Northumbrian Monastery in Homily 4 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 565.

As we reflect on the incarnation through the early fathers, and in this case, the role of Mary who carried Jesus into the world, notice how she attributes all glory and greatness to God.

As Bede puts it, she “attributes nothing to her own merits.”

Ponder the implications of this, lest we think to highly of ourselves. We may be involved in a big project or have high profile roles. We may speak, write, teach, or even travel the world…or do other things. You fill in the blank.

But if we want to see ourselves rightly, we realize that we simply carry the message of Jesus, and if we follow the example of Mary, we can only say that He fills with greatness the small and weak who believe in Him.

So let us be like Mary with our generosity and service today, this weekend, this Advent season, and into the new year.

Let us attribute nothing to our own merits and celebrate God’s greatness. Let us rely in His mercy, trust in His strength, and know that He will lift up the lowly and fill us with good things.

And when we follow Mary’s example, imagine how Jesus may be glorified through our lives today!

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:20

“Love of God is the first to be commanded, but love of neighbor is the first to be put into practice… Since you do not yet see God, you merit the vision of God by loving your neighbor. By loving your neighbor you prepare your eye to see God… In loving your neighbor and caring for him you are on a journey. Where are you traveling if not to the Lord God, to Him whom we should love with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind? We have not yet reached His presence, but we have our neighbor at our side. Support, then, this companion of your pilgrimage if you want to come unto the presence of the One with whom you desire to remain forever.”

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) in John as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 556.

As I think about today’s Scripture, and these words from Augustine coming off my birthday yesterday, it gives me a renewed sense of focus for my next year.

Support the companions of your pilgrimage.

Think of the implications of this. All of us, whether we admit it or not, are simply sojourners traveling through life for a short time. While will we do with the time given to us.

Jesus wants us to show our love for God by showing love to our neighbor.

Since you are reading this, you (along with me) have not yet reached the presence of God so there is still time to support our neighbor. So, what do we get to do? Support fellow sojourners.

In plain terms, the greatest commandment, as it is often described, to love our neighbor as ourself says this: If you want to spend eternity with God, then show support the companions of your pilgrimage.

I want to thank everyone for their love and encouragement on my birthday.

I also appreciate those who showed support by giving to GTP. The need is $199,158 by 31 December 2023. Click here to give. Again, if we hit the mark, it positions GTP to activate a 5-year, $1.25 million capacity building grant.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

“There is nothing colder than a Christian who does not seek to save others… Each one can help his neighbor if only he is willing to do what is in his power… The selfish are fit only for punishment. Such were those foolish virgins who were chaste, comely, and self-controlled, but did nothing for anyone. So they are consumed in the fire. Such are those men who refuse to give Christ food. Notice that none of them is accused of personal sins…only of not helping anybody else.”

John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) in Acts of the Apostles 20 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 558.

It’s been cold this week in Denver, so when I read this text, I felt the chill in his words with extra emphasis. Ponder this idea: “There is nothing colder than a Christian who does not seek to save others.”

Notice that the Scriptures tell us to do the good that we can.

Many see the problems of this world as so great that they don’t even get started in trying to make a difference. God does not want us to solve problems so much as to act obediently rather than selfishly.

It’s a powerful idea to see the selfish chaste consumed by fire.

But I believe Chrysostom makes the correct assessment, because in the biblical sense of the word, what we do as a result of what we believe, shows the reality of our faith. I pray this stirs you to action.

You may hear that GTP needs $198,000 by year-end or some other charity a similarly large number.

Don’t do nothing because you think your $100 or $1,000 will not make a difference is no reason to not give. Give something today that is within your power to act to GTP (click here) or some other ministry.