This week and next we will dip into 2 Corinthians, which is the source for the first reading in daily Masses just two weeks every other year. It is not used on Sundays nearly as often as 1 Corinthians, either. This passage is a bit longer than we might hear in church at a daily Mass, and it is one that is never assigned for Sunday. Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to add to the collection for the hard-pressed church in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
6 Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written:
“He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.” (Psalm 112:9)
10 The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
11 You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God, 12 for the administration of this public service is not only supplying the needs of the holy ones but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God. 13 Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution to them and to all others, 14 while in prayer on your behalf they long for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Reflect:
Even though it is not a regular Sunday reading, you are likely to have heard at least verse 6 from the pulpit when a missionary priest is visiting or a parish fund-raising talk is given. The image is clear and widely used: to reap an abundant harvest, you have to plant lots of seeds. And it carries over into commerce–invest widely for better overall returns. Not every seed gets to germinate (those birds, you know) or lands in a good growing spot. Not every investment works out. Spread enough around, though, and some will return 30 or 60 or 100-fold. Jesus applies this to evangelizing for the Kingdom. Paul has similar wisdom for the Corinthians about giving: God is all-in on giving, generous with his gifts, with complete confidence that his return will be outstanding. His people should imitate his approach.
Paul is careful and reasonable: they are not to impoverish themselves to help others (we are very good at this part of Paul’s teaching) but give what they can (we need to give real thought to this part of his teaching) cheerfully (and do we do this?).
In the Lord’s Prayer we ask to be forgiven as we forgive. The principle is that forgiveness should flow out of us to make room for God’s forgiveness to flow into us. Similarly, God will match, and over-match, our generosity to the needy in some fashion. Our generosity should flow out to others to make room for God’s generosity to flow into us in some appropriate way.
Even more, Paul continues in verse 11, our generosity “produces thanksgiving to God” on the part of the ones we are helping, and it encourages their prayers for us. Surely, we need prayers! Thus the Body of Christ is built up in a cycle of virtue.