It is superfluous, but in order to demonstrate his diligence, it was necessary for Paul to write like this, so that they would be all the more willing to do what they were asked and to embody the truth they were being taught. For superfluities tend to show greater concern. Our Lord did not doubt Peter’s love for him, but even so he asked the apostle three times: Simon, son of John, do you love me?^[1] This repetition may seem to be superfluous, but it contributed to the perfecting of the admonition. At length Peter would learn from it that he must act with great diligence.

Paul says this in order to win the Corinthians over to his side. Some were of such reputation that they thought they did not need advice. They would be ashamed to appear inferior to others. They would not want to fall short of others’ opinions about them.

The other churches followed after Corinth. When they heard that a church which had previously been involved in many errors had put them right, they were moved to good works. After accepting the faith and then behaving badly, they began to have this desire to improve. How much more then ought others, in whom such vices were not present, do so as well?

Paul holds up the Macedonians to the Corinthians and the Corinthians to the Macedonians as examples to imitate.

Paul often reminds the Corinthians of his care for them by saying this kind of thing, so that they will not feel frustrated.

It is obvious that if Paul arrives and finds that the Corinthians are not what they have been expected to be, he will be chagrined and they will feel even more frustrated.

Paul was not asking Titus and his colleagues to go to Corinth as if they were not willing to do so, but in order to prove his love for them. Titus and his friends wanted to go, and Paul is urging them to do so without delay.

Paul is referring to misers when he talks about people who sow sparingly. He says this here because the Corinthians had promised to send something and had subsequently backtracked.

And since the apostle himself says: Now this I say: he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, you should understand that now is the time, while we are still in this life, to be swift and eager to purchase the gift of eternal life, for when the end of the world comes it will be given only to those who have bought it for themselves by faith before they were able to see it.

Accordingly, let us not simply have the recipient in view in showing generosity in almsgiving, but consider who it is who takes as his the kindnesses shown to the poor person and who promises recompense for favors done; and thus let us direct our attention to him while showing all zeal in making offerings with complete enthusiasm, and let us sow generously in season so that we may also reap generously. Scripture says, remember, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly. Let us consequently sow these good seeds generously so that in due season we may reap generously. Now, after all, is the time for sowing, which I beseech you not to ignore, so that on the day of harvesting we may gather the returns of what was sown here and be regaled with loving kindness from the Lord.

Paul is teaching them that if they give with a cheerful heart they will be storing up treasure for future use in heaven.

People who give reluctantly or under compulsion present a blemished sacrifice which should not be accepted.

I think that Scripture means a generous giver, but Paul has taken it in the sense of willingness to give.

Paul’s purpose was not only for money to be contributed to the poor but for it to be contributed with great eagerness. Likewise, God appointed almsgiving not only for the nourishment of the needy but also for the benefit of the providers, and much more so for the latter than for the former. For if he considered only the interest of the poor, he would have commanded solely that the money be given, and he would not have asked for the eagerness of the providers. But now you see the apostle in every way ordering by will first and above all for the givers to be joyful: the suppliers to furnish in a cheerful manner. And at one time he says, Everyone must do as he has chosen in his heart, neither out of grief nor necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver, not simply a giver but the one who does this with pleasure.

Blessed, then, is almsgiving, which both renews the recipient and rejoices the giver, for God loves a cheerful giver, and for this reason it is better to give to him first. Joyful, therefore, and cheerful is the one who attends to the poor. Quite clearly he is joyful, because for a few small coins he acquires heavenly treasures for himself; on the contrary, the person who pays taxes is always sad and dejected. Rightly is he sad who is not drawn to payment by love but forced by fear. Christ’s debtor, then, is joyful, and Caesar’s sad, because love urges the one to payment, and punishment constrains the other; the one is invited by rewards, the other compelled by penalties.

Even if there is some kind of treasury, it is not accumulated from a high initiation fee as if the religion were something bought and paid for. Each man deposits a small amount on a certain day of the month or whenever he wishes, and only on condition that he is willing and able to do so. No one is forced; each makes his contribution voluntarily. These are, so to speak, the deposits of piety. The money therefrom is spent not for banquets or drinking parties or good-for-nothing eating houses but for the support and burial of the poor, for children who are without their parents and means of subsistence, for aged men who are confined to the house; likewise, for shipwrecked sailors, and for any in the mines, on islands or in prisons.

Paul points out that the grace of God is present in them. Just as it has led their hearts to amend their faults and accept the truth of Christian teaching, so it will assist them, once they have begun, to abound in every good work.

Note how Paul does not pray for riches or abundance but only for enough to live on. Nor is this the only thing he should be admired for. He asks the same thing of the Corinthians. . . . He wants them to have enough of this world’s goods but more so an overflowing abundance of spiritual blessings.

If the righteousness of a man who gives to the poor^[1] endures forever, how much more will this be true of a man who gives to the saints. For the poor are obvious to all, but the saints are known only to those who can discern them, for they are servants of God who are constant in prayer and fasting and who lead a pure life.

The things themselves do not remain, but their effects do. Therefore we should not be mean and calculating with what we have but give with a generous hand. Look at how much people give to players and dancers—why not give just half as much to Christ?

Paul adds the prophetic testimony which shows that indifference to money is the beginning of eternal life.

If God rewards those who till the earth with abundance, how much more will he reward those who till the soil of heaven in caring for the soul?

God allowed us to dispose of great things and reserved smaller things for himself. Bodily nourishment belongs exclusively to him, because only he can control the rain and the seasons. But spiritual nourishment he has entrusted to us, since by our own will we can decide whether our fruit will be abundant or not.

It is not only those who have been delivered from beggary to the service of God who rejoice but all those who see the want being supplied. Thus it is that what is given to a few redounds in praises given by the many to God.

Paul is pointing out that giving to the saints is not just a matter of supplying their immediate wants. It has many other ramifications as well and leads to blessings of different kinds.

By this service Paul and his companions are testing the Corinthians’ attitude and magnifying the Lord.

Paul praises them because they gave thanks even for things which were given to others, in spite of their own poverty. No one is more envious than the poor, but these people were free of that passion, so much so that they were able to rejoice in the blessings given to others.

The Corinthians will reap the benefit of the prayers of the poor. Those prayers come out of great love.

The word gift refers to all the blessings which come from almsgiving, both to those who receive and to those who give. Or it refers to the inexpressible gift which Christ bestowed liberally on the whole world by his incarnation. The second interpretation seems to be the more likely meaning.

It is Paul’s custom to praise God every time he expounds some divine dispensation or other.

We should be discerning and aware of the grace that has been effected in us, giving thanks for it to the Maker, praising God for this great and ineffable gift to us. We should put aside from ourselves any hateful habits of slackness and neglect which only destroy our lives; instead, we should persevere from the beginning to the end of the times of our offices. And we should behave with all the greater awe and love during the great and perfect mysteries of our salvation, standing firmly before God continually with wakefulness of heart in spiritual service, resembling servants who are eagerly at the ready to serve their master.