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Jesus said, “Whoever receives
you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a
prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a
righteous man
because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to
one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen,
I say to you,
he will surely not lose his reward.”
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The
group Santana featuring Rob Thomas says that the virtue of giving is
important
in their song "Smooth." They say it,
however, in an environment of love, singing: "I would give my world to
lift you
up, I could change my life to better suit your mood, cause you’re
so
smooth." The person in the song is
willing to adjust his behavior for the sake of someone else, namely the
one he
loves.
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We all have a common
future of death. Sometimes such a thought
is not a pleasant one, especially if we have allowed too much
importance to the
earthly life that we are living. But,
given that common future and possible reward or punishment, we should
want to
adjust our behavior while we are alive. Jesus reminds us that we
determine our own future by our willingness to
give to others.
Both the specific and general applications to the rule of love are important for the Christian. Because they are followers of Jesus, Christians first and foremost must accept the giving to others to be no less than a primary directive. Implied within the giving is the necessity to change selfish behaviors if need be. And the specific consequence involving love of another in a love relationship implies a willingness to change for the other, to the point of giving up what one selfishly desires. People preparing for marriage and actually involved in marriage should have a special concern for what Jesus said and what the song “Smooth” says. If they believe that the other in the relationship has the "kind of lovin’ that can be so smooth" as Rob Thomas and the group Santana sing, then they will be willing to change for the other. |
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THOUGHT
In
what areas should Christians give of
themselves to others?
PRAYER Good and gracious God,
you have directed us
through your Son to learn to give to others. Whether
it involves giving in order to love another in a romantic way or
giving to another simply because we want to love people in general, we
need
your help. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |