Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost; The Holy Martyr Callistratus and those with him; Our Venerable Father Nilus, Founder and Hegumen of the Grottaferrata Monastery.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Luke 5:1-11.
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
The Rorschach ink blot test has become a metaphor for anything that reveals the inner life of a person by making it possible to see what they project onto that thing. How people interpret a thing can sometimes tell us more about the person than the thing itself.
Paul, addressing charitable giving, writes about sowing and reaping either sparingly or bountifully, but then defines the essence of the matter, not to be the amount of the gift, but the motivation and volition of the giver. That provides the context for interpreting what he says next regarding God providing in abundance, multiplying our resources, and enriching us. It has become a spiritual Rorschach test.
A revealing interpretation that takes advantage of human greed, desperation, and religious feeling takes this instruction down a completely different path than Paul intended. The preaching of “health and wealth” theology in the so-called “prosperity gospel” gets people to give generously, promising that God will make them richer financially if they do. It gives proper requests for charitable giving a bad name.
Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Paul, knowing that people can second-guess well-made spiritual decisions that may make them vulnerable, writes encouragement for their hearts. God’s provision in abundance is for “every blessing…for every good work.” God multiplying our resources is connected to increasing “the harvest of (our) righteousness.” Our enrichment by God is focused on “every way…which…will produce thanksgiving to God.”
“Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life,” says Proverbs 4:23. Paul helps us to not lose heart in applying Jesus’s teaching as we exercise our requisite competence in charitable giving.