A Generous God

In today's Gospel, John 3: 31-26, John states that "God does not ration his gift of the Spirit."  In other God is generous, not stingy!

We see God's generosity in Jesus.  He multiplies the loaves,  changes water into wine, heals all of the sick who were brought to him with a variety of diseases,  meets the apostles in the wee hours of the morning to calm the turbulent waters, forgives the woman caught in adultery, raises Lazarus to life,  forgives Peter, surrenders to those who, out of jealousy of His popularity and believing that the kingdom Jesus speaks of will replace their empire, arrest Him and put Him to death. Even on the cross, God's generosity is revealed when Jesus asks His Father to forgive His executioners and, also, when He promises paradise to the good thief.

The generosity of God revealed in Jesus continues to this very day and hour. Whenever you and I call upon Jesus for the help we need in our weaknesses, He does not disappoint.  If, in faith, we seek Jesus' help in time of weakness or  need,we are given the strength needed to do what is being asked of us! And, furthermore, God is not outdone in generosity.   When you and I are generous with our time and talent, our love and patience, our compassion and understanding, our forgiveness and pardon, our efforts do not go unrewarded. In Luke 6: 38 we are told: "Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back."

Alleluia!

Consequences of Making Choices, Good or Bad

In today's Gospel, John 12: 1-11, Mary and Martha invited Jesus to dinner--possibly in gratitude that He raised their brother Lazarus from the dead.  Martha served, Lazarus reclined at table with them and Mary lavishly anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfumed oil prior to the meal, I assume.  Judas Iscariot, one of the invited guests, strongly objects to Mary's use of expensive oil to anoint Jesus' feet: "'Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor?' He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus [rebukes Judas, saying] 'Leave her alone.'"

Corruption, deception, thievery are evils that anyone of us, in any lifestyle or in any vocation is capable of falling into as we follow Jesus!  For Judas, the choices that he had been making all along led to a tragic end. We do not all of a sudden commit grave sins. Such are preceded by lesser evils, but evils none the less. They weaken our resolve and our efforts to do good.  Spiritual muscles, like physical muscles, if unused, atrophy!

What are we doing to strengthen our spiritual "muscles"?  Daily prayer, reflection upon the Scriptures, attendance at weekly and, if possible, daily liturgy, faithfulness to our vows--religious, priestly or marriage vows--in how we choose to love others for their own sake and for God's sake are important ways to become strong spiritually! Allowing ourselves to do as little as possible,  being slovenly in how we meet our responsibilities, cheating here and there, telling "white"lies, making choices that we know are wrong but "no one will know," seeing what we can get away with without being caught or confronted,  is much like what Judas did with the money bag: the results could be disastrous, or certainly not pretty!

A God of Sufficiency

In today's first reading, 2 Kings 4: 42-44, a man brings the prophet Elisha "twenty barley loaves made from first fruits and fresh grain in the ear."  Elisha directs him to give the food to the people to eat.  How, the man objects;; I don't have enough to feed the hundred people gathered here.  "Give it to the people to eat. For thus says the Lord, 'They shall eat and there shall we some left over."  Sure enough! They ate and there were leftovers. That is the kind of God who serves us and is there for us!

Jesus reveals these same attributes of God!  A huge crowd followed Jesus and the disciples across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus sees the crowd approaching and says to Philip:  "'Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?'  He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do."  In the crowd, there  was a little boy who had five barley loaves and two fish. Andrew, the brother of Peter, raised the question:  "...[W]hat good are these for so many?"  There were about 5000 men in the crowd besides women and children.  "...Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them...and also as much fish as they wanted. When they had their fill, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.'  So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with the fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat."

God is a generous God, a God of plenitude, a God of sufficiency!

How trusting are you and I, especially when we believe that we do not have enough to reach out to others in their need?  Do we believe that, with God's help, we will have what it takes to lift a burden from another person, to offer our help by assisting them financially or materially, giving of the little energy we do have,  knowing that by being there for others the little strength we have will be multiplied a "hundredfold"?  Your "two fish" or "five barley loaves" of love, of generosity, of patience goes a long way if we distribute such in faith!

The Challenge of Discipleship

In today's second reading, Philippians 2: 1-11, St. Paul admonishes us to do "nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his [her] own interests, but also for those of others."  Paul's statement--"but also for those [the interests] of others," implies that it is important to meet one's own needs and the needs of others. Self-neglect will lead to anger and resentment.

In terms of doing "nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,"  we have Jesus as an example of these behaviors. "Christ Jesus,...though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped [vainglory]. Rather, he emptied himself [for our sakes]  taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" [regarding us more important than himself].

In today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 25, we pray:  "Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior."  Jesus teaches us, by example, to follow God the Father's way, as He, in fact did throughout his life for our sakes.  As a disciple of Christ, you and  I are challenged to set aside our pride and selfishness and, with the courage, wisdom, humility, and generosity of Jesus to do as He did--give our lives for others! May God give us the graces today to follow Jesus' example.

God's Infinite Generosity

Today’s first reading, Genesis 1: 20-2: 4a, is a continuation of the creation story, whereby God creates an abundance of every living thing upon the earth: birds of the air, fishes of the sea, creeping things, cattle and all kinds of wild animals and says after creating all of them: “Be fertile, multiply,” populate the earth with more of your kind, seeing that all that He had made was good.  Then, God created humankind in His image; the image of the Divine He created us, in God’s likeness, “male and female He created [us]” and said: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over…all living things that move on the earth.” God also gave us “every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be [our] food [along with] all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,” the fishes in the sea, and “all the living creatures that crawl on the ground.”  Then God rested and enjoyed all of His creation.

What a generous God, providing everything for us to exist in peace, enjoying fullness of life and delighting in all of God’s creation!  And, moreover, in His creation of us, God made us like Himself. We are created in God’s image. Think of the Trinity, a community of three persons (though one God) relating equally to one another. No one person of the Trinity dominates the other. All share equally the gifts of divinity: the power, the creativity, the Wisdom, the Prudence, the Counsel, the Reverence, and the Courage. And you and I are created in the likeness of the Trinity, of God.  When we live the Trinitarian life, each of us relates respectfully to each other. Each of us relates prudently, lovingly, creatively, courageously, wisely in meeting each other’s needs and being one with the other in holiness and grace, in power and majesty, in love and forgiveness. 

What a generous God, who shows us in the Trinity how to live according to God’s likeness!

Altruistic, Unselfish, Humble Giving

In today’s first reading, Philippians 2: 1-4, St. Paul urges us to complete his joy—anyone’s joy—by “being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing,” he states, “out of selfishness or out of vain glory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his [or her] own interests, but also everyone for those of others.” In the Gospel, Luke 14: 12-14, Jesus challenges us to invite the crippled, the lame, the poor, and the blind to a meal rather than friends and family and relatives, who would be able to pay us back. In other words, love others, not out of our own interests but out of the interests of others. How difficult these challenges can be. By nature, we look for a return now, here on earth!  It is difficult to do something purely out of altruistic attitudes. Our ego wants a reward now. We have a difficult time delaying the reward until we enter eternal life, or in Jesus’ words, until “the resurrection of the righteous.”

Lord, help us grow in doing for others for their sake and not for a reward from them or that they reciprocate our generosity.  May we have the courage to reach out to those who are unable, for whatever reason, to return the favor! And may our craving for that kind of attention decrease, as we seek to please You and win Your approval in secret and in humility!

God's Generosity and Awesome Promises

Today’s first reading, 1 Cor 1: 1-9, explodes with awesome reminders of who we are in Christ Jesus and the abundant generosity of our God.  Like St. Paul, each of us is called “by the will of God”  to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. By baptism each of us has “been sanctified”—made holy—“in Christ Jesus” and are “called to be holy”. As a disciple, as for an apostle like Paul, our call includes proclaiming--by the way we live our lives-- the Good News” of who Jesus is and of God’s abundant generosity to us in Christ Jesus (spelled out in the Gospels, in the writings of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Timothy, St. John, in the Acts of the Apostles and in the book of Revelation that describes our Catholic Liturgy or Mass (See The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn).  May God give you the wisdom to ponder these realities, to read The Lamb’s Supper (available through Amazon or Barnes and Noble), to sit in solitude reflecting on 1 Cor. 1:1-9.

St. Paul prays for us, asking that we be given grace , that is a dignity, a beauty, blessings, mercy, kindness, loveliness, an elegance  from God our Father and from Jesus Christ—gifts only God can give.  These gifts,   in their authenticity, their depth, and their breadth, do not come from the world.  St. Paul also prays that we are given peace, that is, a calmness, a serenity, a harmony, a freedom and reconciliation from God our Father and from Jesus--gifts, again, that the world cannot give. May you take time to ponder these truths!

Furthermore, St. Paul reminds us that, in Christ Jesus, we are “enriched in every way…not lacking in any spiritual  gift” as we “wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God, St. Paul tells us, “will keep…[us] firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   What promises. God does not lie! An d God is faithful to His promises!

Do you believe? Are your hopes anchored in these promises or are you looking elsewhere for these gifts, that is, in sources not capable of yielding these results?

The generosity of a Caring, Omnipresent God

The generosity of our God!  “…[N]o one [in any walk of life], ” Jesus says, “who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel ….will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and brothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”

Whatever "persecution" we endure or whatever pain involved in leaving that which is dear to us as we follow the Spirit's lead to live according to the Gospel or as we follow our vocations in life—marriage, religious life, priesthood, the single lifestyle—is richly compensated for by a generous, loving God. Jesus says that we will receive “hundred times more now in this present age…and eternal life in the age to come.”  There is never a time when we sacrifice for another—be it volunteering at a homeless shelter, teaching a CCD class, aiding the homeless, getting involved to stop human trafficking and other acts of violence toward humanity, assisting our children in homework challenges, reading to our children,  taking time to play with our children, taking them to a park or to the beach, picnicking with our families,doing household chores, taking time to comfort a grieving family/community member—that the “pay” is  not “a hundred times more” than we ever imagined.

What, today, am I willing to do to live my vocation to the fullest and nip narcissistic tendencies in the bud?

Bountiful Sowing, Bountiful Reaping

In today’s first reading, 2 Cor 9: 6-10, St. Paul reminds us that  “those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly, and those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully.  Everyone,” Paul states, “must give according to what he [or she] has inwardly decided; not sadly, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver. God can multiply his favors among you so that you may always have enough of everything and even a surplus for good works…”  

How willing am I to give generously? To sow bountifully? Or am I stingy with my time, my energy, my giving, my getting involved?   Do I give 100%/150% to relationship building in marriage, in community life, in the parish? Do I assume responsibility for chores/tasks within my home (whether in marriage or in religious life) or do I hold back, not seeing what needs to be done and doing it, and then wondering why things are not going well for me? I may think that I have no energy, no time. Is it because I am wrapped up in my selfishness, my stinginess? By sowing sparingly, am I not, in fact, denying myself the favors God can and will multiply? Is it because of my lack of generosity that I am not discovering that I have "more than enough of everything and even a surplus of energy for good works" within my marriage, within community living, within my parish or civic community?  

We may have wondered where the generous person-- the person involved in helping the parish, in serving the poor,  in doing all one does for one’s family or one’s religious community—gets the time and energy to  do all he/she does.  The answer: “God can multiply his favors among you so that you may always have enough of everything and even a surplus for good works.” 

I have a choice to "sow sparingly" or "to sow bountifully." Which choice will I make today?

Giving out of One's Poverty

In today’s Gospel, Luke 21: 1-4, Jesus draws attention to the widow who gave of her poverty,  putting two coins in the treasury in contrast to the wealthy who gave of their surplus.   Am I willing to give out of my poverty  without counting the cost?   How difficult that can be!  I find myself coming up with excuses:  What if I don’t have enough, I ask myself. What if I run short this month?  I really can’t afford it this month?”  And the list goes on and on and on. I can raise these same excuses when God invites me to be generous with my time, my talent, my giftedness, my love and compassion, my forgiveness and understanding. 

  

When invitations to give of myself  to a person in need or to share of  my possessions, though they be meager, come my way,  what if I prayed for the grace to put on the mind of Christ  and  to respond with the heart of God?  What if I reminded  myself that, throughout the day,  God will be inviting me to grow in self-giving, in giving of myself to others out of love, of being generous as God is generous, of showing compassion as God is compassionate, of being the kind of person the widow was in today’s Gospel?  What a difference that would make in transforming this world into a place where love triumphs both in my being and in the being of others.

The Risen Lord among Us

In today’s Gospel story, John 21:1-14, Jesus reveals Himself to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. Peter and his companions have been out fishing all night long and have caught nothing.  Jesus is on the shore that morning, preparing breakfast for them.  He sees them coming to shore and asked them:  “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”  Of course, they haven’t.  He says to them:  “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.”  They follow the Lord’s direction and, yes, they land a huge catch, 153 large fish.  

Other important lessons assert themselves in this story.  Like the disciples, if we follow the Lord’s instructions, if the Lord intervenes on our behalf—and He always does—we will be shown the power of the Risen Lord, who walks among us, goes before us, and anticipates our needs. If we are open to being directed and if will set our pride aside-- letting go of “That won’t work; there are no ‘fish’ there. We know, we are the professional fishermen here--we will experience the Lord’s generosity, His care and concern. He will provide, and always does provide, for us abundantly. We will only know that if we act in humility, exercise our faith and our trust and, at times, try what we have not tried before.  Sometimes, we are called upon to do that which seems foolish, as casting on the other side of the boat must have sounded crazy to Peter and his companions that morning.

As you read this story, also notice that, at first, the disciples do not recognize that the man on the seashore is Jesus. After following his lead and catching a huge number of fish, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (no name is given, as that disciple is you and me), says to Peter: “It is the Lord.”  Many times we need others to show us God at work in our lives, as we may be too close to the situation and/or too busy frantically working at a task that we do not see beyond what is most obvious to others.

Choices that give life or take life away: Which do I Choose?

In today's first Scripture session, Sirach 15: 15-20, we are reminded that, if we trust God, we shall live; that God sets before us fire and water, life and death, good and evil and will give us whichever we choose. O, the Wisdom and the greatness of our God! In the second Scripture lesson, 1 Cor 2: 6-10, Paul speaks of a wisdom, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age--all of whom will pass away--but a wisdom we know as Christ Crucified, a wisdom modeled by Christ who gave His life for the ransom of us all. We, too, having the choice of water and fire, good and evil, life and death, are faced every day with choices that lead either to life or to degrees of death. We are faced with the option of giving of ourselves so others, and ourselves, live life more fully or choosing to live only for ourselves, saving our lives selfishly for our own purposes. The choice is ours. God gives us what we choose. What am I willing to lose for the sake of another, husbands/wives for the sake of their spouse and their children, women/men religious/priests for the sake of those we serve, for fellow community members, for the good of others?

God''s Generosity and Concern for All

In today’s Gospel, Mark 8: 1-10, Jesus is moved with compassion for the crowd. The people have been with him for three days. His concern is that if they go home without a meal theymight collapse on the way. Notice, that no one from the crowd had requested a meal. Jesus noticed and responds out of the depth of his concern. From seven loaves, He feeds the four thousand people and has some left over. What a lesson for us; namely, that if we wait upon the Lord we, too, will be saved. God notices and is concerned and will respond lovingly and with an abundance in response to the unmet need. God never abandons those He loves and He loves all of us. He knows our needs. He is aware of our hunger, a hunger for justice and right, a hunger of love and belonging, a hunger for right relationships, for understanding and forgiveness, for meaning and purpose, for sustenance and warmth, for protection and safety. Sometimes, instead of waiting upon the Lord and bringing our hopes and fears, our needs and longings to the Lord we take it upon ourselves to make things happen without divine help, as Jeroboam did in the first reading. Made King following his father Solomon’s demise, Jeroboam begins to fear that the other kingdoms will return to David’s house and seek his death. So he creates two golden calves as gods and the people, with him, fall into idolatry. When I am afraid, what gods do I turn to instead of waiting upon the Lord, who has a future full of hope for me? Do I take things into my own hands when what I think should be happening is not happening fast enough, such as a reconciliation with a family member, an acknowledgement of injustice, the righting of a wrong? “By waiting and by calm you shall be saved; in quiet and in trust your strength lies,” says Isaiah (Is 15:30). Do I truly believe that?

Mercy and Generosity

In the first reading of today’s liturgy,  1 Samuel 24: 3-21, Saul, with three thousand men is on a search for David with the intent to kill him.  Saul stops at a cave, rests and falls asleep. Further back in that cave is David and his men hiding from Saul.  David spares Saul’s life that day out of respect that Saul is the Anointed King of Israel and is also that he is like a father to him. As Saul and his men leave the cave David comes out and yells to Saul: “My lord and king!...why do you listen to those who say, ‘David is trying to harm you’?  …[T]he Lord just now delivered you into my grasp …I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead….May …[God] see this,…and grant me justice beyond your reach.” Saul  acknowledges his wrongdoing, calls upon the Lord to bless David, the future king of Israel.  His jealous rage is defused by David’s mercy and affection for him and his own repentance.

Both men, Saul and David, are blessed by the Lord! You and I, in our best and worst moments, are still precious to the Lord, our God, our Creator and Redeemer.  God’s mercy knows no bounds and His love for us is unconditional.  To communicate that message God needs you and me to be His spokesperson by how we relate to one another both in good times and in bad, when feeling threatened and when being shown mercy. As God’s communicator by my thoughts, words and actions, do I, in fact,  reflect God’s mercy and compassion, His love and forgiveness, His wisdom and fortitude?

Blessed with Every Spiritual Blessing in Heaven

The second reading of today’s liturgy is from Eph. 1: 3-6, 11-12.  I invite you to read it, addressing the Lord and reading it in the first person, inserting  your name. I did and it reads as follows:

“Lord, God, You have blessed me in Christ with every spiritual blessing in heaven, as You chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before You.”  You “clothe me with a robe of salvation” (Is 61:10).  The price You paid for that robe was the death of Your Son on Calvary.  “In love You destined me for adoption to Yourself through Christ Jesus in accord with the favor of Your will for the praise of the glory of Your grace that You granted me in the beloved.”

“In Christ [you, Dorothy Ann, were]… chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplished all things according to the intention of his will, so that you might exist for the praise of God’s glory.”

Wow, what a loving God! What generosity! What a gift!

I thank you and praise you, Lord, God.  May my awareness of Your love deepen. May I not take the gift of salvation for granted!  You sacrificed your Son that I might have life and have it eternally!

And this Christmas we celebrate your birthday—the day your entered into our way of life to transform it, to redeem it, to bring us back to God by your death upon the cross, when you were crucified on Calvary, being obedient to the Father unto death to undo our disobedience, our choosing our own wills in place of Yours.  O God, have mercy upon us each time we rebel and go our own ways.

God's humble and generous response to our grumbling

In today’s first reading, Exodus 16: 1-5, 9-15, the Israelites are complaining to Moses that he brought them out into the desert to die of famine. God hears their grumbling—how quickly they forgot that God was delivering them from slavery—and responds with raining “down bread from heaven.”  He instructs Moses to give the people the following message:  “Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.”  He also instructs Moses to “[t]ell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you  may know that I, the Lord, am your God.”

When people grumble against me, treat me scornfully, turn against me, the last thing I want to do is “rain down bread from heaven” upon them.  How unlike God I can be! God teaches me in this passage that there is another way that leads to freedom and grace: that of generosity, humility, and understanding.  Humans can be cantankerous individuals. God knew that but does not stoop down to their level.  I pray that I, too, will rise up to the occasion and, in humility, respond to others as the Spirit in me wants to respond, not in accord with the ego’s desire for revenge. May I also have the humility to “present myself to the Lord,” for He knows that when I am in grumpy mood and need “refueling.”

How about you?

Every Grace Made Abundant for Us

In today’s first reading, 2 Cor 9: 6-11, we are reminded that “God is able to make every grace abundant” for us, “so that in all things, always having all” we need, we “may have an abundance for every good work.”  Wow! What if we lived off that belief every day. What a difference that would make. Doubts would be diminished. We would “attack” the day with vim and vigor. We would believe in God’s power overpowering our doubts, our weaknesses, our lethargy, our cynicism, our pessimism or whatever else holds us back from accomplishing the good that we are called to be instrumental in bringing about in our families, our communities, our employment situation, our parishes.  And what if we truly believed that every one of our needs will be met every day, this day!  How differently we would approach a given situation. The fretting and anxiety would also be diminished because of this belief. Yes, God provides, beyond any doubt and over and above any limitation that we believe will thwart our abilities to come through, even in a difficult environment. 

St. Paul goes on to say to us: “The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” And furthermore, he says: “You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God.”

Tonight it behooves us to reflect on how God supplied “the seed”, multiplied that seed and increased “the harvest” of our righteousness, that is our virtue, our uprightness, our honesty,  our justice.  It also behooves us to reflect on how God enriched us today because of our generosity.  Or have we fallen short today because we were not generous, not honest, not upright in some way. If so, then our evening  prayer needs to include an “I’m sorry, God; I let you down today. Help me turn that around tomorrow when you give me another chance to right the wrongs I committed by my lack of generosity and my unbelief."

Gifts for the Most High

In today’s first reading, Sirach 35: 1-12 we are encouraged to offer sacrifices of praise to the Lord in the form of helping our neighbor, doing acts of justice, and giving alms.  “…be not sparing of freewill gifts,” Sirach says to us.  “Give to the Most High as…[God] has given to you, generously, according to your means.”

 As I reflected upon this passage in my morning meditation, I was touched by the example of parents everywhere, giving generously of their time and gifts to their children, not sparing anything for the welfare of those God entrusted to their care.  Every act of kindness to another, no matter how small it might be, is a sacrifice of praise offered to the Lord. Sirach reminds us that “the just one’s sacrifice is most pleasing, nor will it ever be forgotten” by God.  “With each contribution,” even a smile given to a neighbor, a diaper changed on an infant, a bandage put on the scraped knee of a youngster or whatever, “show a cheerful countenance, and pay your tithes (not necessarily money) in a spirit of joy.”  All of us witness that kind of generosity every day.  All of us, too, can recall the “sacrifices of praise” given to us by our own parents. Yesterday we commemorated the men and women who served our country. Their service, their sacrifices,  were/are pleasing to the Lord and will never be forgotten.  “For the Lord,” Sirach reminds us, “is one who always repays and…[God] will give back to you sevenfold…For …[God] is a God of justice…”

You and I are called by our baptism to follow God’s example given to us in Christ Jesus, who did not spare anything for our welfare. What am I going to give unsparingly today for the well-being of another in my family, in my workplace, in my religious community? And what am I willing to give unsparingly to myself for my own well-being, so that I truly enhance my ability to be generous in my service to others?

Self-giving: A Prelude to Giving to Others

Today’s Gospel, Luke 6: 36-38, begins with Jesus saying to us: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”  How merciful am I toward myself is the measure, I believe, of how merciful I am toward others.  How honest I am toward myself is how honest I am toward others. And the way I care for myself is the way I care for others.

As I reflect on my life, I notice how difficult it is for me to give myself some slack.  I am very stingy with myself when the little girl within wants to play, for instance. I say to her: “I’m too busy; I got too much to do.”  And this is on a day off!  Then busily, many times, I frit from one thing to another and don’t accomplish that which I thought I wanted to do when my inner child suggested that I take some time for fun. What I failed to remember is Jesus’ reminder, in this same Gospel passage, that, in giving, gifts will be given to me.  That generosity, I believe, begins with self. If I am not generous toward myself, it is unlikely that I will be generous with others. It is that simple and that complex.  Lessons learned begin at home.

What about your experience?

A generous request being answered

“As the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you,” Elijah says to Elisha  in the first reading of today’s liturgy (See 2 Kings 2: 1, 6-14).  Knowing, however, that his life on this earth is drawing to a close, he says to Elisha: “Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you.”  Elisha asks for “a double portion” of Elijah’s spirit and it is given him.  That may surprise us but let us move forward in history to the time of Jesus’ death.  Just prior to going to Calvary, Jesus leaves us His very self in the form of bread and wine—a gift far greater than Elijah giving Elisha a double portion of his spirit. Following His resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples that He is returning to the Father: “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth….In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see that I live and you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you…I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom  the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything…Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you….” (John 14: 16, 19-20, 25-27)--all of this foreshadowed by Elijah and Elisha in today’s first reading.

Elisha receives double Elijah’s spirit. You and I receive the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the love between the Father and the Son, a Spirit of courage and boldness,  in Baptism, Confirmation and all of the sacraments, a Spirit that changed the apostles from men who cowered in the upper room prior to Pentecost to men who gave their lives for the sake of spreading the news of Jesus’ resurrection and the Good News of the Gospel to all nations. Nothing now was too much for them. They embraced discipleship completely!

My prayer: May my life reflect the fact that God has given me more than a double portion of His Spirit. He’s given me Himself, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, and the Spirit, the third person of the Trinity! Does my life reflect the fact that God the Father, God the Son,  and I are one in the Spirit?