Do I truly live the detachment of the earthly realities? Is my heart empty of things? Can my heart become aware of others’ needs? «The program of a Christian —the program of Jesus— is a “heart that sees” – Pope Benedict XVI
(Gospel text: Mk 12:38-44)
In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds,
"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the marketplaces,
seats of honor in synagogues,
and places of honor at banquets.
They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext
recite lengthy prayers.
They will receive a very severe condemnation."
He sat down opposite the treasury
and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood."
Generosity is a beautiful virtue. Not only are we to be generous with our financial resources, but we need to be generous in everything that we do. Many of us don't mind giving, or we may even enjoy giving something to God and others. Nevertheless, we are terrified and overwhelmed by the prospect of giving all, and I am not necessarily speaking about money either.
How then can we apply today's Gospel passage to our lives? We need to examine ourselves and see just how generous we are with God and our neighbor.
We can do this by looking at three things that pretty well covers all of life; i.e., our time, our talents and our money.
Are we generous? Do we make sacrifices for others? Remember the words of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she said: "This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts."
We can do this by looking at three things that pretty well covers all of life; i.e., our time, our talents and our money.
Are we generous? Do we make sacrifices for others? Remember the words of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she said: "This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts."
Are we generous at home? This is where all of this has to begin. How do we live our family life? Once generosity is lived out in the home, it carries over to our parish family, our place of work and our school.
We will never be able to out do God's generosity for us. The more generous we are with God and our neighbor, the more God will be generous with us. So, be generous with your time. Give yourself to others. Use and develop the talents that God has given to you. Be generous with your money. Do not be cheap. Besides, you can't take it with you. What's the point of being cheap?
The plain and simple truth to take away from today’s gospel is, we will only be truly happy if we are generous with God and generous with our neighbor. The virtue of generosity allows us to become fully human. By nature, we are made to love.
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