Monday of the
Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
(II Corinthians 6:1-10; Matthew 5:38-42)
Acteva is a company that ostensibly helps non-profit
organizations with Internet services. Recently,
however, a number of the organizations that Acteva supposedly helps have found
themselves swindled of their monies. Left
discouraged, such organizations could hardly be blamed for feeling a bit
skeptical when they hear Jesus’ message in today’s gospel.
Jesus exhorts his listeners to open their wallets to
those needing assistance. Does he mean
that one should risk losing the necessities of life? Such a radical interpretation probably
misrepresents Jesus who shows concern about people’s general welfare. Nevertheless, he knows that people tend to so
preoccupy themselves with money that they lose sight of the value of a human
being. Jesus only insists that his
followers be generous with those in real need.
It is hard to lend when we intuit that the borrower will
not pay us back. Perhaps we should not
lend what we cannot afford to lose or, better, from the beginning consider loans
as gifts and ask borrowers to “pay it forward” (give it to another in
need). In any case Jesus wants us to
help the poor with our money as well as with our prayers.
