“When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” – Luke 14:13-14
My wife and I are friends with a couple at our Parish who recently gave birth to their third child, a little baby boy. They had their son baptized at Mass a month later, and we were privileged to attend.
A few weeks ago these friends shared a remarkable story with us. They had received a letter in the mail with no return address on the envelope. A simple note was inside. It read, "I was blessed to witness your son's baptism. You are doing a great job with your little family, and your faith is inspiring. Keep up the good work." Included with the anonymous note was a stack of hundred dollar bills, which added up to a total of $1,000.
Needless to say, our friends were overwhelmed by the generosity of the unknown donor. The gift was especially providential, because they have only one source of income right now and finances are tight while mom stays home with the baby.
The most noteworthy aspect of this story is that the gift-giver wished to remain anonymous. He or she did not want to gain any recognition or honor for the act of generosity. That seems like a rather uncommon virtue these days.
Too often our seemingly good intentions can be laced with ulterior aims. We must examine what truly motivates our charitable giving. Do we give because we want to help, or because we want our name engraved on a Wall of Recognition? Do we donate to a charity because we believe in its mission, or because we want a tax break?
A Ugandan boy from CARITAS' Catholic child sponsorship programs
With regard to these situations, the Lord always challenges us to act with purity of heart. In the Gospel story for this Sunday, we meet Jesus as He dines with one of the Pharisees. Before the meal begins, Jesus notices several guests jockeying for places of honor at the table. He rebukes them with a parable and says, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
Then, Jesus goes a step further and admonishes the person hosting the dinner. He says:
When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
Clearly, the Lord wants us to be motivated by pure love rather than selfish ambition. True charity does not look to get something in return for its gift. If we give only to gain recognition, then we are loving ourselves more than our neighbors in need.
So, let’s recognize that righteousness is its own reward. Let’s humble ourselves and shake off our disordered desires for personal gain. Let’s seek to glorify God by serving the poor and the outcast.
Merciful Father, purify our hearts so that we may love our neighbors without expecting anything in return. Amen.
