Quotes of the Day for January 30, 2026 – Thoughts on the true essence of giving

“What more can be said about this other than what Christ Himself said? Do not sound a trumpet before you (Matt. 6:2). There was a custom that the Pharisees especially loved to follow: to stand on the crossroads and sound a trumpet, to give a signal that the needy should run to them, then triumphantly hand each one some small coin—as if they were handing out rewards. Do you recall how Christ valued the widow’s mite? She gave less than everyone, but He considered her sacrifice to be the greatest. And the essence of almsgiving, as it turns out, consists not in how much we give, and not in—and this is very important!—people seeing your sacrifice. Absolutely not. But the essence of almsgiving is in the proper state of the soul, without which almsgiving is not pleasing to God.” (Professor Alexei Osipov)

“So the issue of philanthropy is really the twin issues of re-communing the suffering poor, including the emotionally and spiritually and socially poor, and of re-communing the selfish rich, including the emotionally and spiritually and socially rich, all in the interest of activating a true “work of the entire people,” an honest liturgy. Even those who are spiritually rich–who live lives of virtue and grace–at times may forget to suffer with, rather than look down upon, those who are far from God (although in this realm, at least, the failure to share will result much more quickly in our own impoverishment).” (Timothy G. Patitsas)

“Why should I give energy, time, money, and yes, even attention to someone who has offended me? Why should I share my life with someone who has shown no respect for it? I might be willing to forgive, but to give on top of that! Still…the truth is that, in a spiritual sense, the one who has offended me belongs to my “kin,” my “gen.” The word “generosity” includes the term “gen” which we also find in the words “gender,” “generation,” and “generativity.” This term, from the Latin genus and the Greek genos, refers to our being of one kind. Generosity is a giving that comes from the knowledge of that intimate bond. True generosity is acting on the truth – not on the feeling – that those I am asked to forgive are “kinfolk,” and belong to my family. And whenever I act this way, that truth will become more visible to me. Generosity creates the family it believes in.” (Henri J.M. Nouwen)

“We should give according to our ability (2 Cor 8:12). The crucial thing is attitude. From this standpoint, the needs of others are tests of our relationship to the passions that threaten to control our inner life. Whether we close or open our hand to those in need reveals the state of our soul. Are we subject to the passions of greed and avarice? Do we view money as an end in itself? And do we treat our possessions as our cherished treasures? Do we treat riches and material goods as a means to serve God and our fellow persons? Are we selfish and hard-hearted? Or do we have open and caring hearts? For a good reason, “almsgiving” ranks with prayer and fasting as a major discipline of Great Lent. In this time of the healing of our soul, charity is an effective medicine for those who are controlled by the passions of acquiring, having, and keeping material things.” (Fr. Basil)

“Saint Paul reminds us in today’s passage [1 Cor 10:23-28] that we are called to caring. Nor do we limit our caring to financial giving through philanthropies, charitable donations, and other sorts of altruism. We extend our charity to our every relationship and every encounter with others. Note that the apostle does not link his counsel on pursuing “the other’s well-being” to the virtue of almsgiving. Instead, he speaks of kindness in our day-to-day contacts shopping at the market, having dinner with friends, or discussing religious practices (vss. 25-28).” (Dynamis 10/9/2021)

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