Forefeast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God; Our Venerable Father Zachary; Our Holy Father Artemon, Bishop of Seleucia in Pisidia.
Day 22 of the Great Fast. Saint with Six Stichera. Abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients.
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 14:24-32; Vespers – Genesis 8:21-9:7; Proverbs 11:19-12:6; Genesis 28:10-17; Ezekiel 43:27-44:4; Proverbs 9:1-11.
Read Proverbs 11:19-12:6
There are those who sow their own things and produce more things,
And there are those who gather but have less.
In this line from today’s reading, we encounter an important paradox: those who ‘sow their own things’ or, in other words, give freely, get more and grow richer. And those who gather, or do not give so freely, grow poorer.
Christ’s parable of the talents in the gospels conveys a similar lesson.
How can this be? After all, it’s a paradox because it seems that if you give more you will have less and if you gather more you will have more.
To put it simply, one who lives and gives out of a spirit of abundance lives and gives with the heart of God, since God gives in abundance.
We all have something to give. We all have some talent, skill, time, or even money that we can offer to someone else, or our church, or our community, etc.… to build them up and help them grow into what God desires them to be. When we give of ourselves for someone else, we imitate God who created us out of the abundance of His Love and we imitate Christ on the Cross who saved us out of the abundance of His mercy.
The person who gathers, keeps to himself, or withholds what he has does the opposite. Instead of giving freely to build up someone else, he turns in on himself and is blind to others. Such a person might be extraordinarily talented musician, for instance, but no one else gets to be lifted up by the beautiful music that he can produce. Someone else might have tons of free time but be crippled by boredom and loneliness. Another person still might be very wealthy but use their wealth to put down others and exalt themselves. All these people are poor.
So, give. Give of your time, talent, treasure—give of yourselves. Give freely and joyfully. This is how God is, and this will enrich your life and everyone’s around you.