2/22 Friday in the First Week of Lent

Deuteronomy 26:1-3

When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’

An offering from Clint Hagen

"Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that have received--only what you have given."
-- St. Francis of Assisi

When I was little, my parents gave me an allowance. It came with a lot of strings attached, though. First, I was required to put 10% of it into "savings" -- a piggy bank that would eventually become my first bank account. And second, I was required to give 10% of it to the church. I resented both of those practices at the time; and, honestly, I'm still not that great at saving money. But I do believe in the importance of generosity -- generosity of wealth, of time, and of spirit.

In this passage from Deuteronomy, the Hebrew people are commanded to put aside a portion of their wealth for God's use. And it's not supposed to be whatever's left after they've taken care of everything else. It's supposed to be a portion of the first fruits, the first harvest.

If you're like me, here's what probably happens when you get your paycheck. You take care of the bills -- the mortgage, the credit card payment, electricity, water, insurance, the car payment -- and then you see what's left. Out of that, you estimate what you're going to need for groceries and gas and whatever else. And then, if there's something left, maybe some of that can go to charity.

That seems pretty sensible, right? Why, then, does God command the Hebrew people to give out of the first harvest, rather than the last, after the granary is full? Perhaps because it's really important in life to keep the main thing the main thing. It's really important to remember that all that we have comes from God. The gifts God has given us in teaching, or administration, or intellect, or vision, or passion -- those things have enabled us to do what we do; and so, when we are paid for those things, it's important to recognize God's hand in that paycheck.

Prayer

Lord, teach me to be generous,
to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to look for any reward,
save that of knowing that I do your holy will.

- St. Ignatius of Loyola