INVESTING IN HEAVEN

Imagine a carpenter with the crudest of tools. It takes him many days to make a simple table; and its quality is so low that the price he obtains for it is poor. 

He has a choice: either he can spend all the money he earned on food and drink or he can set some money aside, even if it means going a little hungry, in order to buy better tools. 

If he does the latter, then he will soon be making better tables much more quickly, and so his earnings will quickly increase.

This choice is analogous to a spiritual choice that each of us must make. Either we can spend for our own pleasure all the wealth we possess or we can set aside part of our wealth to give to others. 

If we do the latter, then we may sacrifice a few immediate, earthly pleasures; but the joy we earn for ourselves in heaven far, far surpasses the pleasure we have lost on earth. Every act of charity on earth is an investment in heaven. 

St. John Chrysostom

(updated 07-02-02)