Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get.” This biblical line summarises the core of giving, which all religions endorse as spiritually energising.
Christians have begun a 40-day penitential period called “Lent” marked by special prayers, fasting and almsgiving. In his “Persons are gifts” Lenten reflection, Pope Francis reflects upon Jesus’ parable of the “Rich man and Lazarus”. On dying, the rich man suffers in hell and poor Lazarus enjoys heaven.
Lazarus — whose name in Aramaic means “whom God helps” — is a God-sent opportunity to the rich man to share his food and wealth. But in his greed and attachment to money, the rich man is totally oblivious that poor Lazarus is sick and survives merely from the crumbs that fall from his table. His wealth impedes his growth as a person and drives him to hell.
Pope Francis writes: “Lazarus teaches us that other persons are gifts. A right relationship with people consists in gratefully recognising their value. The poor person at the door of the rich is not a nuisance, but a summon to conversion and to change. The parable first invites us to open the doors of our heart to others because each person is a gift, whether it be our neighbour or an anonymous pauper. Lent is a favourable season for opening the doors to all those in need and recognising in them the face of God.”
The Indic daanam and the Latin donum stem from the same root daa signifying giftedness, the capacity of self-donation. God is the greatest donor from whom everything and everyone traces its own giftedness. When one gives, one radiates God. Indeed, as the Rig Veda says: “The giver makes the gifts shine.” Isn’t God our greatest giver and gift?
Many elements vivify the process of giving: giver, receiver, gift, attitude and outcome. Jesus once praised the mite of a poor widow to the temple treasury because while others contributed out of their abundance, “she put in everything she had.”
The greatest gift one can give is not what one “has” but what one is: one’s time, talents and whole life. By giving with love and respect, both, giver and receiver are enriched. Such giving springs from true gratitude to God and not from obligation, it creates world family and destroys dependency.
It’s good to give gifts to family and friends, but it’s best to give to the unknown “Lazarus-es” who totally depend on God. If in these we recognise the face of God, we will realise that we are only repaying what we have undeservedly received.
