A weekly reflection from a member of the Hastings clergy By Laura Stierman, Director of Evangelization St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church On Kindergarten and Corinth When I was a wee lass, being …
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A weekly reflection from a member of the Hastings clergy By Laura Stierman, Director of Evangelization St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
On Kindergarten and Corinth When I was a wee lass, being a Brownie was the highlight of my kindergarten year. I vividly recall reading the story of the “little elfs” cleaning house and surprising the family. When you get to the end of the story, the author tells you to go look in a mirror to see the helpful elf… and you realize it’s you! YOU are the one who can help others. I secretly made myself a little brown paper pointed hat and tried to wake up in the middle of the night to wash dishes – but to no avail. Still. A seed was planted. As I grew, I volunteered every-now-and-again as part of my church and school community, but nothing routine. Fast forward many years, after the height of the Precious Moments craze. One of the figurines was titled, “God loveth a cheerful giver,” and I rolled my eyes, whispering to my garage-sale friend, “God never said that.” Fast forward many years again, during a class on the Letters of Paul, and I ran across this line in his letter to the good people of Corinth, “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9: 6-7). All those memories converged, and then time stood still right then and there.
You see, Paul is trying to help the Church in Jerusalem; persecution there is fast, furious, and beyond devastating. Between the Jews and the Romans, the new followers of Jesus are not only isolated from work opportunities and forfeiting their homes, but honest men are losing their lives and the widow and orphan population is spiraling out of control. Nero is losing control… of his future, his mind, and his ward. It’s a socially and politically unstable time, and the followers of Jesus are blamed. Since we are all one body in Christ (1 Cor. 12), their pain is his pain, so Paul is looking to the prosperous sea-trading people of Corinth to help the suffering in Jerusalem. And so it goes with us. Christianity is about seeing Jesus in others, sharing the gifts given us, and doing God’s will on earth as it will be done in heaven.
There is plenty to be thankful for here in Hastings, so let’s share what we can with those who need a little help, both here and abroad. Paul ends his plea, “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.” And that, my friends, is a Little Good News.