It’s the first day of our Give From the Heart Pledge Drive and we are immensely grateful for the many listeners who have already pledged their generous support. But with the ups and downs of the last year, perhaps you feel as though you can’t give enough to make any difference. Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. stopped by Morning Air® to explain why you don’t need to have much to give from the heart.
Mother Teresa once said, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” And that is the basis of what it means to give from the heart.
Fr. Kubicki told Morning Air host John Harper, “I couldn’t help but think of the example in the Gospel, that Jesus said he was observing people coming in and leaving offerings behind, and they were giving from their surplus. And they had a lot to give. And they were giving a lot. But then a poor widow came along with two small coins, and it was all she had. She gave sacrificially, and Jesus said she gave more than all the other people. So, you know, it’s that question of looking at ourselves. We often think what I have is so little. But giving from the heart means we do it with love.”
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we may be surrounded by hearts. But Fr. Kubicki warned against thinking about giving from the heart as a way to simply make ourselves feel warm and fuzzy.
“The heart is a symbol of love,” he said. “But we often think of love in terms of getting something – when I get pleasure or I love what makes me feel good. And that’s not love. Love is when we give to others, and we may end up feeling good because we’re giving, but it’s not the same kind of pleasure or getting when we say we really love frozen custard or whatever it may be.”
“To give from the heart means to give with a little bit of a pinch,” Fr. Kubicki continued. “We give up maybe our designer coffee during the week and we add that to our almsgiving for Relevant Radio, or some other thing that we really like. So it’s a matter of giving from the heart, giving with love, and feeling a bit of that pinch, realizing that God is not going to be outdone in generosity. If we give generously to the work of God, then God is going to bless us abundantly.”
Of course, as Catholics we do not have a Prosperity Gospel belief that if we give to the Lord’s work He will get us a promotion or make us win the lottery. But the Lord is generous with those who are generous, and often the gifts He gives us are worth more than gold.
John Harper commented, “One of the blessings of giving from the heart is the gift that the Holy Spirit gives you, because it puts your own blessings in perspective. If God has blessed you with His providence, or if you have a little bit of money, how do you use that? Yeah, on yourself and on your family. That’s obviously necessary for your own personal comfort. But also, maybe just to give yourself a little discomfort to make sure that money that you’re giving from the heart … is going for the greater good.”
You don’t have to give much to give from the heart. If you haven’t yet made a pledge during our Give From the Heart Pledge Drive, consider making one today! Gifts of $5, $10, or $20 really do make a difference, and will help us reach our funding goal.
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