RBWords

     St. Paul's words about giving are in the context of an appeal to help the Christian community in Jerusalem during a terrible famine. He goes to the issue of generosity and attitude.   Jesus' remarks are in the context of the Sermon on the Mount and speak to the issue of motives. It has been said that the purest form of generosity takes place when the giver and receiver remain anonymous to one another.  This seems to run counter to the common strategy in fundraising which is to personalize the action of giving so that both donor and donee know one another (letters exchanged, etc.], or when it is a matter of bricks and mortar or scholarships, the donor is honored by his/her/their name being  attached to the gift for time immemorial.  In short, generosity is often tied to recognition and credit.  This is what is meant by "incentive!"  

     I call attention to this not to criticize the practice so much as to raise again the same issue that arises when Jesus says, "Love your enemy!"  The words of the Sermon on the Mount continuously run "counterintuitive" to our human nature and practices.  Do we, by our reaction and conduct, reply, "Come on, Jesus, this just isn't the way 'things' are done!  Maybe your way might have worked 'back then,' but this is 'now!  Just who do you think you are?"   Hmmmmm......Maybe it's a question of who WE think Jesus is!  Why do his words in the Sermon on the Mount disturb us so?  Why do we often rationalize them away as impossibly idealistic?  Maybe we could also recall the words of G. K. Chesterton (I may be paraphrasing):  "The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it has never really been tried."   When we see the Sermon on the Mount as impossibly demanding, we might first ask ourselves, "Did we really try it his way?"  AMEN