Homily

Do you think you are generous people? Are you a generous person? Am I a generous person? How would you judge how generous you are? The dictionary defines generous as, "freely giving or sharing money and other valuable things; providing more than the amount that is needed or normal; showing kindness and concern for others." So perhaps that can help you decide whether you think you're a generous person. Another method to evaluate yourself might be to compare yourself with the actions of other people in this regard. When I do that I can see that I'm not a very generous person because the charitable spirit and actions of so many other people reveal my stingy and selfish nature. Thanks for that!

In today's epistle, St. Paul praises those who are generous. He's taking up a collection for the needy and famine-struck believers in Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and he is encouraging the Corinthians to open their purses widely for this charitable work. He says, "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully . . . Moreover God is able to make every grace abundant for you so that, in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work." He makes it clear that the Lord, Himself, is generous to all of us. Indeed, everything that we have, contrary to what we may sometimes be tempted to think, everything we have is ultimately the gift of God.

I was thinking about generosity this past week at the priests' retreat while I was in Dallas dodging Ebola day after day. And I realized perhaps a bit more clearly that my generosity is very tied in to my trust in God. As much as I trust in God, that much can I afford to be generous, because I know that He is the One who ultimately provides for me. So if you could attach a meter to me, and measure my willingness to give, it would swing towards "extraordinarily generous," or "mighty stingy and selfish" depending on how much trust I have in the Lord.

I used to think the measure of generosity was about percentages—so, for example, if you have $100 and you are willing to give $10 to someone else, that is generous; but if you give $20 that is even more generous. Or if you have three spare hours to spend as you like and you use a half-hour to help someone out that is kind; but if you give them two hours that is very, very kind. Obviously this way of measuring a person's giving makes sense, but it doesn't provide a complete picture in the Christian sense. For those with faith, generous giving is not just about how much one is willing to offer based on how much one has. Nor is it about responding to the needs of others because our emotions are touched and we are moved by the needs of other people. People are more willing to write a check for victims of an earthquake who need food and water than they are to write a check to help bring fresh water into a poor village, which could also be used to grow food. The pictures of the suffering people in the earthquake situation will prompt a much better response than the photos of those who must travel a great distance to get their daily water. I guess that is understandable, but is it right?

So much charitable giving is based upon what we think other people need, and upon what we think we can afford to give. That is not unreasonable. But I don't think it's the best basis on which to decide how much of our money, goods and time should be spent, nor where they should go. As St. Paul suggests in this section of his epistle, to be generous means to have a correct and reasonable and full understanding of what the Lord has given to us, rather than thinking that we have gained it all by ourselves. Then, having that clear inventory in our heads, and knowing its source, how freely am I willing to give out for those who are in need of it more than I am? For example, I still have pretty good health, thanks be to God (and that is the point) and I am not spending time on doctor and hospital visits, nor taking care of personal health problems. How generous am I with this time that I have? The giving of it to others is a way to give thanks to God for what He has given to me. It's an acknowledgment of that which is treasured not by hanging on to all of it but by giving as it has been given. And when others receive what I have given, they too, St. Paul insists, may be tempted to give thanks to God, "What? Not to me?" "No, thanks be given to God." And this, in turn, may prompt them to be generous as well.

Thanksgiving leads to generosity, which leads back to thanksgiving. All of this is a way to better understand that this material world is not closed in on itself, but rather it is a gift and a blessing from the Lord to us, for us, to draw us closer to His divine life, which is not limited to time and space but flows out into an eternal communion for those who partake of it.

So before we can imagine ourselves becoming more generous, we need to have a solid and complete perspective on what we actually have right now. True enough, our minds and our hearts are very often fixated on what we don't have and we want, what we do have and we don't want, and what others have that we wish we had too. So it takes a bit of effort sometimes to gain a clear view on the wealth that has been given to us. And when we have a proper assessment of that wealth, then we can offer proper thanks. And when we have offered proper thanks we will be more willing to give—whenever, wherever, however, to those who are in need. May those who receive be inclined to thank God and do the same in return. It is a regular struggle to see our goods and our graces as they truly stack up in the true wealth we have, and that's why we may find it difficult to share more of ourselves and our stuff. But this is a good time and a good place to make that effort, and certainly in this Eucharist then, the perfect opportunity to sincerely thank the Lord Who gives Himself for us.