THIRTY-THIRD LESSON
On Almsgiving.
"He that hath mercy on the poor, lendeth to the Lord."—Proverbs 19:17.
When there is a weak or infirm child in a family, he becomes the object of special kindness, of more attentive care: it is he whom his parents prefer to all the others; his brothers and sisters are constantly engaged in pleasing him and in amusing him, because they wish, if it be possible, to compensate him for the privations he suffers, and to make him forget by dint of great love his sad position. Well, my dear young friends, the poor are like these unfortunate children amidst God's large family, He cherishes them most particularly on account of their sufferings, and has given us the task—we who have been loaded with the bounties of Providence—to become in our turn the providence of the unfortunate. On this condition only, God gave us wealth; and to fulfill our duties towards the poor it is sufficient to have a good heart. But can you quite understand what is poverty, you, my children, who live in wealth, or at least in affluence; you who want for nothing, you who are well clothed, well fed, surrounded by all sorts of care, and who have but to express a wish and to see it directly fulfilled by your parents? As you see around you persons placed in a similar position to yours, you think no doubt that this situation is here below the lot of the greater number. It is not so, nevertheless: a large portion of our brethren are plunged in dreadful distress, and the world is filled with poverty. Those that are the most to be pitied amongst them are not the working classes, who support their families only by the most assiduous and painful work; there are some poor who die of hunger, of cold, of misery, because old age or infirmities take away from them all means of subsistence, or because, being ill, they cannot procure the help which would perhaps save their life. When you think of this, my children, does it not make you quite sad, and above all quite ashamed, to employ in useless expenses so much money, and to pay for some trifle, of which you often tire in one day, a price on which a whole family might live for a long time? And then again, only think that these wretched creatures are men like ourselves, our brethren, God's children—that we might have been born in their place if God had so ordained it—then, my children, far from despising the poor, as some heartless people do, or avoiding them because the sight of their poverty is repugnant, you will wish to soothe these unfortunate beings by the most tender charity, and at least to pity the sufferings you cannot alleviate.
It is not only to gratify our own feelings that we are to be charitable. God has given us the most precise commands on almsgiving: he threatens with his wrath those who are avaricious, and those whose hearts are hardened by their wealth, whilst at the same time he promises his most abundant blessings and the full happiness of heaven to all who are willing to help the poor. Thus it would be almost right to say: Jesus Christ has made charity the condition of our salvation.
To conclude, let me remind you that our Lord made Himself poor, and, as if to incline us still more forcibly to alleviate the sufferings of the poor, He assures us that the least act of kindness done to the least among them, is looked upon by Him as if done to Himself. Oh! my children, bear this always in mind when you meet any poor person; remember that it is Jesus Christ himself who asks of you, He Himself who stretches out His hand towards you: can you refuse anything to that God who gave you all, even His own life?
But perhaps you will say, how can we give alms at our age? We have so little money at our disposal! To this I can reply that it is not the value of the gift but the good will with which it is accompanied that is agreeable to God. One child can share his pocket money with the poor; another can deprive himself of some passing fancy to give the value of it to a beggar: in such cases both would have been really charitable; the child who having only the piece of bread prepared for his luncheon, if he gives it to a poor child, has done a very kind action, and God will remember that he praised the modest gift of the widow spoken of in the holy Gospel, and that he promised never to leave unrewarded even a glass of water given in his name. It may happen besides, that very little may give great pleasure and do real good. With a few pence, a poor man may warm his chilled limbs, a poor mother buy bread for her child, a poor lad work all day with a contented heart. And then when you love the poor, you find a thousand ways of helping them; for charity is ingenious; and without money you can still console misfortune, if it were only by a pitying look or a kind word.
Try to deserve the blessing of the poor, my children; believe that it will bring down on you the blessing of God, and that it will give you happiness. Believe really, that charity makes the giver happier than the one who receives the kindness; the joy of doing good is such that it can only be compared to the bliss of heaven.
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