The Devil's Hand is Tipped

Are people charitable only when it benefits them?

Do people work hard only because they are paid well?

These questions came to mind as I monitored the public discussion about the effect a tax hike on those earning more than $250,000 would have on charitable giving; and the necessity of so-called "retention pay" to motivate highly-paid Wall Street executives.

In the first case, persons earning north of $250,000 a year would not be able to deduct as much of their charitable giving as someone earning less than $250,000 a year. The harm of such a change in tax law, the critics say, would be a drastic reduction in the flow of money to the needy through one's favorite charity.

In the second instance, so-called "retention pay" is deemed essential to keep productive Wall Street brokers from seeking work at financial firms with looser purse strings -- even firms clinging to federal bailout money to stay afloat.

For just a moment, the devil had tipped his hand. If we, indeed, give only because it benefits us; and if it is size of the paycheck that determines the level of our loyalty, or our enthusiasm for the task at hand, then it is time to man the life boats. Civil society is headed to the depths.

Money is a hard task master. When asked, "How much money is enough?," 19th century industrialist John D. Rockefeller replied, "Just a little bit more."

A similar answer, it would seem, is hidden in the devil's hand.

Yet, we need not despair so long as there are those who give as Jesus said we ought: In secret. Not for the recognition of the recipient, nor for the praise of one's peers, not even for the tax break, but only for the secret affirmation of God.

We need not despair so long as there are those who work for the things that money cannot buy: A legacy that lives on in the lives of others; a good conscience before men and before God; a hope that one has truly given to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God the things that are God's.