While leaving the church last Sunday, I noticed that we have a gold-plated Gospel Book cover on the “Wish List”. Shouldn’t we be using our money to help the poor and destitute instead?
Thank you for this question – I was hoping that someone would ask it! Without a doubt we, as a church, should be engaged in charity. In the Scriptures, the very word for “charity” means “love”, and since “God is love” the primary work of the Christian is charity. One only needs to remember the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians, “though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels… and though I understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so as to move mountains, and do not have charity, I am nothing.” However, then St. Paul says something which might be a little surprising, he says, “and though I give out all my goods to feed the poor… and have not charity, I am profited nothing.” Why would St. Paul says this? Well, one answer is that St. Paul is talking about the need to have the right intentions when helping the poor – one must help the poor out of love. No doubt, this is definitely true, but perhaps St. Paul talking about something more as well? If we c
