“I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your bountiful gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation—for God loves a cheerful giver” (II Cor. 9:5,7)
Here is a touching insight into the personality of St. Paul. He was appealing for a contribution to the Church in Jerusalem, hoping to inspire the Corinthians to be generous in their offering. The Jerusalem Christians were mostly Jews who weren’t sure if the Greeks were worthy of contributing to what were Jewish obligations. All Jews in the diaspora , those living anywhere outside of Palestine, were obligated to send a tithe to the homeland. Jewish Christians felt this was an assessment exclusively for Jews. They refused to receive Gentile donations. St. Paul wanted them to accept Greek offerings and affirm their place in the Church. He is afraid that the Corinthians, so far removed from the Holy Land, would let him down. Of course it was not his nature to criticize anybody or any Church. He always used positive persuasion, as he does here.
Just a paragraph earlier, the Apostle wrote that he was boasting about them to the Macedonians, a gentle nudge that he had high expectations from Corinth and said to others that the Corinthians were people who were eager to make their offerings. Then he added the renowned phrase: “God loves a cheerful giver.” We all know those who give but are not happy about it. Some even give only under duress. Let’s sort out the givers:
- People who give only because it’s an obligation. We pay taxes that way. We open our bills and write checks reluctantly. Perhaps that’s the way we deal with society at large, but this is not the attitude to take when we are asked to give from our heart to the upkeep and enhancement of the holy Church;
- There’s something satisfying about contributing to charity. When we make a gift to an established charity, we feel good about ourselves. In the autumn season after Labor Day and through the remaining days of the year, we are solicited by so many appeals that we must make choices. Do we put something in the Salvation Army pots at each shopping center, or do we pick and choose?
- We all know those who make an issue of their contributions. It doesn’t count unless it appears in the media that the contributors are People of Importance. They used to flaunt their donations to the party of their choice or even hedge their bets, giving to both major political parties. With new rules they must find a way to do the same, but not so conspicuously.
- All of the above are acceptable to the recipients, and all of them have value in their own right; however, gifts at the highest level first come as a true sacrifice. They are not just an excess of funds that the giver can well do without and even derives tax benefits from them, but they come from hearts that feel a compulsion to contribute. When the feeling arises within that you cannot do otherwise than to meet the needs laid out before you, when you are presented with a situation, a crisis or a grief that so overwhelms you that you are desperate to provide from your means an alleviation for that person, group or situation, you are a cheerful giver.