Is Your Giving Spiritual?

One is rich not by what one has in his/her account but what one has in his/her heart. In Luke 21: 1-4 Jesus makes us reflect on the quality of our giving. The question is not how much we give but how well we give? Lots of people give. Here the rich people also gave to the treasury. But Jesus raises the giving of the poor widow to a higher lever, to a spiritual level. How does our giving become spiritual?

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Giving to a stranger

Giving becomes spiritual, (1) when it puts the giver at risk, when giving makes the giver vulnerable. When one gives of something that one has to live on. Give something of your very self and thus you die a little, be it our time, our resources, etc. It affects the giver fundamentally. It changes the way the giver lives. In this gospel passage the giving of the old woman changes her life style irrevocably, irreversibly. Dying a little makes ‘spiritual giving’ possible. (2) When giving is done to a stranger, or to an enemy. Here it crosses over from mere duty (parents to kids) or exchange (friend to friend). Here the giver gets nothing back. Giving to a stranger or enemy makes giving spiritual. When a person cooks a meal for someone other than his family and friends, it becomes a spiritual activity. When is the last time we gave something to a stranger or to an enemy unconditionally?

Giving affects the giver

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