There will be times in our lives when the Lord will encourage our generosity and we will contribute much or hardly any of our financial means to the support of the Church or of good institutions that promote works of culture or assistance to needy people. It is also possible that, in addition, we should raise funds for these works. Many pages of the New Testament show us the efforts of Christ's disciples and of the first Christians to raise funds for the spread of the Gospel. We see, for example, Matthew, well-to-do, who overflows with gratitude towards Christ . And that group of women who followed the Lord and assisted him with their goods. And those other disciples, well-to-do people, such as Joseph of Arimathea, who gives his tomb to the Master and pays for his shroud; or Nicodemus, who buys a large quantity of myrrh and aloes to embalm the Body of the Lord. In the same way, we observe the heroic behavior of the first Christians who sold their possessions and other goods , and all those who had possessions or houses, selling them, brought the price of them and placed them at the feet of the Apostles.
St. Paul will organize collections in Antioch, in Galatia, in Macedonia, in Greece to help the faithful of Jerusalem, provoking the emulation of one and the other. When the Apostle writes to the Christians of Corinth, he thanks them for their generosity in the collection they take up, he encourages them in their purpose and tells them: for this is what is good for you19. And St. Thomas, commenting on these words, emphasizes the benefit that is drawn from the detachment of goods in favor of others: "The good of piety is more useful for the one who exercises it than for the one who receives it. For he who exercises it derives a spiritual benefit from it, while he who receives it derives only a temporal benefit". Almsgiving is one of the principal remedies for healing the wounds of the soul, which are sins, and it always attracts divine mercy.
Together with our generosity and detachment of goods, we must foster in our friends that good disposition of soul, which will obtain from the Lord so many blessings for them and their families. "Here is an urgent task: to stir the consciences of believers and non-believers, to raise the consciences of men of good will, so that they may cooperate and provide the material instruments necessary to work with souls". To conclude, we can use this phrase that encourages effort, generosity and detachment: "Think how much does it cost you financially to be Christians?
St. Nicholas will be our ally in Heaven to be generous with God and with our brothers and sisters, and to seek these necessary economic means on earth. Let us go to him. Close to God, he continues to be generous to those who invoke him.