Ruth went to her mailbox and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address.
She read the letter: Dear Ruth,
I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I would like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always, Jesus
Ruth’s hands began to shake as she read and started thinking she was nobody to deserve a visit from Jesus. She then realized that she had nothing to offer him so she rushed to the groceries with the little money she had. On her way back, two beggars on the street requested food from her. Her initial response was to continue because of her all-important assignment of preparing for Jesus but thought better of it and gave the food (bread and cold cut) to them. She then handed her winter coat to the woman after seeing how she was shivering. Then she went on still thinking of how to serve her visitor.
When she got home, she saw another mail: Dear Ruth,
It was so good to see you. Thank you for the lovely meal. Moreover, thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always, Jesus
Dear friends, as we reflected earlier at the beginning of Lent, almsgiving is one of the important observances during the season of Lent. Apart from the fact that showing love to people washes away many sins (1 Peter 4:8), Almsgiving brings a special holy joy in the heart of a person who engages in them and it is a wonderful way to defeating greed and the desire to amass more material things that always leaves the soul empty.
We need to think about special ways of reaching out to others. It is not only the poor in our society but sometimes even some close family members. There is also the rice bowl and the donation to the Phoenix house that we have in this Lenten season. Let us be part of all of these in this special season of grace. For there is more blessing in giving than receiving. Find time, read, and reflect on the encouragements that comes from these inspirational texts Act 20:35 and Isaiah 58:7-12.
Fr. Dominic Yamoah is a Catholic Priest from the Catholic diocese of Konongo-Mampong. He has been a priest for 18years. The above reflection is a gift from my ministry in the St. Clare’s Parish in Clarinda and its sister stations in IOWA, USA. Father Yamoah believes in the power of God to lead through difficulties and challenges in life. “The God in our joyful moments in life is still the same God in our challenging moments of life” (Fr, Dominic Yamoah)
Keep Fr. Dominic Yamoah in your as he aspires to serve the Lord in the priestly ministry. May God continue to bless you.
