"L'âge auquel on partage tout est généralement l'âge où on n'a rien." Alphonse Daudet
"The age at which we share all things is generally the age at which we have nothing." Alphonse Daudet
Ever noticed how often those who have less are more willing to share?
There are a number of videos on Youtube or Facebook which illustrate this: a young guy asks several people to share their pizza because he's hungry. They refuse. He asks a homeless guy who has received some pizza from someone else and the homeless guy shares with him.
There are many similar stories from missionaries working in Asia, Africa and South America. It's the testimony of Soeur Emmanuelle who worked amongst the poorest Egyptian people living off the rubbish heaps.
When you know what it's like to not have much, you can sympathise more with others in the same predicament. Or you can choose to keep the little you have for yourself and refuse the other person's request or stay blind to his/her need.
Jesus gives a few examples of the right attitude:
1. The poor widow who gives of her livelihood. Luke 21:1
'As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." '
2. The parable of the talents. Matthew 25: 14-30
' "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." ' (v.29)
3. Kingdom values which turn traditional values upside down. Matthew 5:38-42
' "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." ' (v.42)
May God inspire change and motivate commitment to justice and honesty during the G20 in Brisbane this week.
Thank you to all those who are actively seeking to promote Kingdom values in this context.
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