July 1, 2010 - Sirach 35

I thought of two things while reading this, both similar.  First, how we are called to give joyfully.  Sometimes it feels so hard to give or let go of that envelope in the collection basket on Sunday.  For whatever excuse is running though your head at the time, we feel the urge to not give.  We are not only called to give, but give joyfully.  We are reassured that we will be paid back in God’s own way, which will not likely be a way we expect. 

The second thing that came to mind was about not bribing God.  It may not seem like a bribe in the normal sense, but when you come to those times in your life when you feel backed into a corner and cry out to God saying “if you get me out of this I won’t do A, B, or C anymore.”  That is bribing God.  That is not what He wants.  He wants our freely given gift before we ever come to that point and chances are if we had freely given ourselves to Him, we would not be in a corner trying to bribe our way out.