Somewhere in the scriptures Jesus says something like “to those who have much, more will be given.” He is definitely not talking about wealth or riches of any kind. (“Woe to you rich”; “It is harder for a rich person to enter heaven than a camel to pass through the eye of a needle” and on and on.) Jesus is talking about those who give of themselves, the more they give the more they will get. What do they get?

I am reminded of this point of wisdom by a family of friends. Although they live in poverty and suffer illnesses they are always looking for way to serve others. They can use a vehicle for their own needs but are seeking one, not so much for themselves, but in the Catholic Worker of hospitality so they can help low income persons stay in their homes by providing transportation of necessary items like beds and appliances. They want to be a Catholic Worker house on wheels.

As a member of the St. Vincent De Paul Society, the largest lay organization in the Catholic Church, serving the needs of the poor, I know firsthand the need of transportation for the poor for necessary household items. Although our local Church is very small and poor, we have the largest number of request for help in the region. Someone told me in church yesterday that we had over 80 requests for aide in process at the present moment.

We make home visits to those in need. Recently our requests are mainly for basic household items like, beds, stove or refrigerators. We give as we can vouchers to our St. Vincent store for beds and furniture and/or to a local appliance store for stoves and refrigerators. However, we do not provide transportation and almost all of the persons in need do not have transportation. Although my wife and I are the visitors we leave the house feeling blessed.

People like my friends who give so much might rightfully doubt that the more they give the more they get. In material terms that might be true but in many ways this family is rich. They enrich so many lives and are living examples of the wisdom that “the more you give, the more you get.”

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