Francis Fernandez: Abstemious living and Almsgiving

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

“We have to be detached from all our belongings. Thus we will be able to use everything on earth in the way that accords best with the will of God. Our heart will be for Him only and for the good things of God that never fail. Detachment makes of life a delightful way of austerity and effectiveness.

A Christian should frequently ask Himself a series of questions: Does he or she remain ever-vigilant so as not to fall into a spirit of comfort, into a sort of self-satisfaction, which is in no way compatible with being a disciple of Christ? Does he or she try not to create superfluous needs? Do the things of earth bring him or her closer to or take him further away from God.

We always can and should be abstemious in our personal needs, tightening up on superfluous expenditure, not giving in to mere whims, overcoming the tendency to create false needs, and being generous in almsgiving.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 208.

As I lean into the idea of almsgiving, I learned a new word today. Maybe you are learning a new work do. Prior to typing this I did not know what the word ‘abstemious’ meant.

It’s the opposite of self-indulgent. It means that you aim at simple living and avoid false needs or thinking you need things you really don’t need to create margin for addressing real needs through almsgiving.

Sit quietly on this Saturday. Ask yourself the questions above again. Follow the leading of the Spirit. Ask yourself what steps you need to take to move toward abstemious living and generous almsgiving.

Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:33

“Almsgiving proceeds from a merciful heart is more useful for the one who practices it than for the one who receives it, for the man who makes a practice of almsgiving draws out a spiritual profit from his acts, whilst those who receive his alms receive only a temporal benefit.”

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians 8.10.

Someone asked me about almsgiving recently so I am doing some research to learn more about this act that delivers temporal benefit and returns an even greater spiritual profit.

My finds reveal clues that appear like the modern day benevolence fund or deacons fund. Imagine a collection to help people in crisis or provide one-time gifts to those with unexpected need.

Evidence also points to support for the infirm, the destitute, and those who may not be able to work. Support to them shows God’s love to the watching work through the care of the weak and marginalized.

And notice, Aquinas links the benefit to those with a merciful heart.

Let’s unpack that. It’s a heart that says, “I have more than enough and I will give to those that may not even be deserving because in my undeserving state, God showered blessings on me.”

If you have resources, give alms to individuals and upport ministries that build up people on a local and global scale. Do this so they receive temporal benefit and you get unfailing spiritual profit.

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20

“Effective detachment from things demands sacrifice. Any detachment which is not hard is not real. Christian life is such that it calls that it calls for a radical change in attitude towards earthly goods. We must acquire them and use them not as the end in themselves, but as a means of serving God, the family, and society. The objective of a Christian is not to accumulate more and more but to love Christ more and more through our work, our family, and our material goods.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 133.

I got an email that advertised a “Black Friday” sale early. It’s really early considering that bargain shopping day is not until 29 November 2024.

“More and more” in the world’s way of thinking links to accumulation. But what if, we focused on loving Christ “more and more” instead and loving Christ through our work, family, and material goods.

This calls for detachment. We learn to detach watching Jesus. The home in the world for a fox or a bird is a den or a nest. Jesus had neither. This implies that He did not focus on earth as home.

He deployed himself (work), His relationships with others eager to do the will of God (family), and any resources that came to Him (material goods) on mission with others.

As we focus on people in the last two months of this year, let’s consider the detached example of Jesus and think about our priorities. We will have many opportunities to buy things (more and more).

We will also have many chances to love Christ (more and more) through our work, family, and material goods. Only as we follow Jesus do we discover that detachment from things helps us attach to Him.

And it positions us to live, give, serve, and love generously.

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

“The payment and the price of love is to receive more love.”

John of the Cross (1542-1591) in Spiritual Canticle, 9.7.

Yesterday in my Pinehurst Bible Study group we looked at 1 John 4. Repeatedly the text reminded us that God is love and our responsibility is to love our brothers and sisters.

The command to love God and love others is what Jesus desires of us. But it’s hard to do in the wake of very divisive election season. There’s so much angst and anger out there.

So how do we serve as conduits of love in challenging times. John gives us the motivation, namely, that God loved us first. He modeled the way for us.

And John of the Cross suggests how we fill our proverbial tank to love others generously. We position ourselves like a cup under a spigot. We receive more love.

Let’s resolve to do this today and every day. Rather than allow challenging people and situations to foster hate and frustration in us, let’s receive and give love generously.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

“Very often we do not know what is good for us; and what confuses matters more is that we think we do. We have our own plans for our happiness, and too often we look upon God as someone who will help us to carry them out. The true state of affairs is invariably the reverse of this. God has his own perfect plans for our happiness, and is waiting for us to help Him carry them out. And let it be clear that we can in no way improve on God’s plans.”

Eugene Boylan in This Tremendous Lover (Gastonia: TAN Books).

Our tendency in living is for us to want our kingdom to come and our will to be done on earth, right now, today. Notice how that’s the opposite of what God desires for us.

Boylan uses the right word here: reverse.

When we shift in reverse, and instead, pursue God’s kingdom and trust His plans for us and let him sort our happiness, everything changes.

We go from disappointed containers to delighted conduits of blessing.

Please, you owe it to yourself to put it in reverse today. And do it remembering the last and best line of Boylan: “we can in no way improve on God’s plans.”

“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

“Works of mercy, as well as the relief they give to those in need, serve to improve our own souls and those of the people who accompany us in those activities. We have all experienced that contact with the sick, with the poor, with children andwith adults who go hungry, always means for us a meeting with Christ in His weaker or unprotected members, and for that very reason such contact can mean a spiritual enrichment.”

Álvaro del Portillo (1914-1994) in his letter dated 31 May 1987.

Works of mercy appear as acts for those who either don’t deserve it or cannot repay it. In the words of Jesus, in today’s Scripture, whatever we do for such people, He considers them done for Him.

As we start another week, let’s focus our giving on those who either don’t deserve it or cannot repay it. This runs contrary to patterns in my own American culture which tell me to give to the things I care about.

That’s what our culture defines as generosity. Of such behavior, Jesus said these words.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” Luke 6:32-33

So he elaborates and gives us this instruction, which is echoed in today’s post.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

This kind of merciful generosity can anticipate reward. We can count on spiritual enrichment when our giving reflects the kind of giving that moves beyond the giving of sinners and reflects the giving of our God Most High.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. Revelation 7:9

“We should ask ourselves in our prayer today whether we know how to love everybody who crosses our path in this life, whether we have a real concern for their misfortunes, a concern that leads us to act in an effective way; thus, when we come out to our daily examination of conscience we will find in the course of it that we have many acts of charity and of mercy we can offer to God…

And just as God’s love is not simply an emotion or feeling, but something that leads our Lord to perform deeds that show it, so our love for our neighbor has to be a love that shows itself in deeds… The opposite to this, namely the seeking of material goods as the most important thing for oneself and for others, is proper only to pagans or to those Christians who have allowed their faith to grow lukewarm, so that, in fact, it has very little influence on their daily lives.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 544-545.

Today’s Scripture pivots from walking in the steps of Jesus in the Gospels to a verse from Revelation that reveals the impact of our missional living, giving, serving, and loving. People from “every nation, tribe, people and language” will come to know the Jesus we serve and spend eternity with Him.

Texts like this remind us of the big picture. When we engage in God’s global work supporting ministries like GTP or others, we help people come to know Christ, to have their robes washed in the blood of the lamb. And the ironic part is that we never even meet these people from all over the world.

In this post, Fernandez reminds us that it was the love of God in Jesus that led him to “deeds that show God’s love” toward neighbors. I researched that when Jesus met this woman from Nain, it came at the moment of completing 30 miles of travel from Capernaum. This inspired me to look for opportunities when I am act my weakest or after long trips.

Speaking of 30. GTP had 446 givers in 71 countries last year but only 30 monthly givers. A major foundation, that looks at our metrics and impact and that is considering a second major gift that would add 2-3 staff wants to see more monthly givers. We are praying for 100. Will you step up and become a monthly giver to GTP? Click here to give monthly.

And I have a special treat today to inspire you. My daughter, Sophie, works for Wycliffe Bible Translators. She serves on a team that developed 7-day devotional called “Dare to Live Generously” for free download here. Check it out. Read it with family or friends. I just got it yesterday, started it, and was touched to see her name in day one. You have to read to find out what she said.

What I can tell you is that when we taught her to do “deeds that show God’s love” she did not figure it out until she did them the impact they would have on her life and the trajectory on which it would send her to. Perhaps go back and read today’s post again to conclude and ask God what acts of charity and mercy He may have in store for you.

My advice is to serve and support a portfolio of things God cares about. For service, maybe start with groups like the poor, the sick, or the next generation needing some coaching to serve God in church or ministry work. And rather than grow your material goods like the pagans (as Fernandez put it), grow your monthly giving to your local church, GTP, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and others.

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.