My Wednesday Homily

I want to share my homily with you because what has happened to me has been happening to all the missionaries with me this week. I am so proud to be with them.

Wednesday of 11th Week of Ordinary Time

This is my seventh visit to Santísimo Sacramento. On each trip I try to give something to my Piuran brothers and sisters and, of course, I always get something in return. What I receive is spiritual in nature and always worth much more to me that what I give.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is saying that when we act holy we are not supposed to impress other people and make ourselves look better in their eyes. This is the wrong reason for acting holy. We are supposed to give alms, pray, and fast to enhance our love of God. These three actions are supposed to purify ourselves and bring us another step closer to God.

When I read today’s gospel selection, certain words were very meaningful for me. They reminded me of something I learned from you when I was here in January for a month. The part of today’s gospel reading that came alive for me is: “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing.”

When I was a boy, our family had just enough money to buy the necessities of life. There was very little money left over for those extra things that people desire. So, as I began to raise my own family, I always watched our money very closely. I always gave a certain percentage of our money to others who had less. As I grew older and saved more money, I began to give more and more of it away, but always is a calculated way.

My wife and I have been padrinos of a family in the pueblo of Chavín de Huántar for eight years. We have grown to be one family. They have graced me by allowing me to baptize their children. My Peruvian family has taught me to help them in a way that my left hand does not always know what my right hand is doing. My left hand now gives alms with less of a connection to my right hand that keeps track of our alms. My two hands are still connected, but much less than in the past. I continue to progress in the direction that Jesus teaches. I have seen the same thing happening this week to the other missionaries with me.

Mother Theresa tells the following story. “The mother of a starving family was given a small dish of rice. That was nice, but the real act of neighborly love happened next. Before anyone ate a grain, the mother disappeared out the door. She came back quickly with half a dish of rice and everyone ate hungrily. When asked why she gave away the rice when her children were so hungry, she answered that they could not enjoy the food knowing that their neighbor had nothing.”

An abundance of possessions can easily lead us to forget that God is the source of all good. We must be careful not to trust ourselves and our wealth rather than the almighty. When we focus on ourselves, we forget not only God but also the people he created. In our self-absorption, we are fooled by the pleasure of possessing.

What happens to us when we are giving alms? When are we going to let go of unnecessary things in our lives? What are our attachments? Are we aware of those who are in need and of those who need our love and our care?

Almsgiving is the practice of giving to others more needy than us, especially at the cost of some sacrifice on our part. Such generosity gets the focus away from ourselves and back on Jesus, especially Jesus in our brothers and sisters.

You are my brothers and sisters. Thank you for helping me to better live the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ!