Perhaps many of us give to charity from our surplus and think we are making a sacrifice! Jesus is not asking us to give away our entire livelihood. He is seeking a willing heart that gladly makes sacrifices for the sake of his kingdom. He wants our trust. He wants us to rely on his generosity and his ability to protect us from financial ruin when we care enough to disregard the cost of helping others.

What happened to the widow in the Gospel story after she went home? Did she starve? Is that what we are afraid will happen to us if we are sacrificially generous? Do we believe that Jesus would praise those who make huge acts of love and then crush them as if their good deeds had been foolish?

Let us put our faith into action. Let us make sacrifices for the charities that need our help. Let us give more than we normally would. Instead of assuming that other people will donate enough to pay the bills of churches and ministries, let us add to our donation an amount that someone else should give but does not. This is a gift to Jesus, since what we do to others, we certainly do to him.