Christian Generosity

Homily

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (B)
12 NOVEMBER 2006

1 Kings 17: 10 - 16

[1 Ki 17:10] Elijah [the prophet] went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her, "Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink."
[1 Ki 17:11] She left to get it, and he called out after her, "Please bring along a bit of bread."
[1 Ki 17:12] "As the LORD, your God, lives," she answered, "I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die."
[1 Ki 17:13] "Do not be afraid," Elijah said to her. "Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
[1 Ki 17:14] For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"
[1 Ki 17:15] She left and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well;
[1 Ki 17:16] The jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.

Hebrews 9: 24 - 28

[Heb 9:24] Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
[Heb 9:25] Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own;
[Heb 9:26] if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.
[Heb 9:27] Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment,
[Heb 9:28] so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Mark 12: 38 - 44

[Mark 12:38] In the course of his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces,
[Mark 12:39] seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets.
[Mark 12:40] They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation."

[Mark 12:41] He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.
[Mark 12:42] A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
[Mark 12:43] 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.
[Mark 12:44] For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."
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1. Introduction

In today's Gospel, Jesus says that the widow "put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury" because she, like the widow of Zarephath who had fed Elijah, had contributed out of her poverty, not out of her surplus. Jesus praises the excellence of her intent, not the monetary value of her gift.

This woman, like all mankind, had been created in the image and likeness of God. Her generosity drew high praise from the God-man Jesus because it intensified her likeness to her creator. In her simple and praiseworthy act, she manifested the God Who is love. Jesus is praising the widow's generosity, which is a powerful imitation of the Divine generosity which has been manifested throughout salvation history.

2. It is Not Possible to Outdo God in Generosity

The infinite generosity of God has been manifested repeatedly throughout salvation history. In Romans 5, we see the generosity of God at its zenith:

[Rom 5:6] For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
[Rom 5:7] Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
[Rom 5:8] But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Each of us has been created in the image and likeness of God. Through the treasuries of grace made available to us in the church by the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to grow in the divine likeness by imitating Christ, who showed us the perfectly-lived life of grace. A cardinal aspect of imitating Christ is to manifest Christian generosity within the circumstances of the respective vocations to which God has called each of us. In so doing, we must keep in mind that no one can outdo God in generosity.

This is symbolized in today's first scripture reading by the widow of Zarephath's being rewarded for her generosity to God's prophet Elijah by using the last of her flour to bake him a little cake. God rewarded her generosity by providing her food and drink throughout an entire additional year of drought. We also read in Luke 18:

[Luke 18:28] Then Peter said, "We have given up our possessions and followed you."
[Luke 18:29] He said to them, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God
[Luke 18:30] who will not receive (back) an overabundant return in this present age and eternal life in the age to come."

3. Just What is Involved in Manifesting Christian Generosity?

We now ask, "just what is involved in manifesting Christian generosity?"

The Christian witness of the St Thomas the Apostle parish community is:

Encountering Christ; Encouraging Faith; Enlivening Hearts.

In my exercise of generosity to someone, do I minister the Holy Spirit so that the person is experiencing a genuine encounter with Christ? That is, am I really present to that person so that the presence of Christ is facilitated?

In my exercise of generosity to someone, do I minister the Holy Spirit so that the person is experiencing a genuine encouragement in faith? That is, do my actions provide an additional source of strength for believing the revealed truths of Our Lord?

In my exercise of generosity to someone, do I minister the Holy Spirit so that the person is experiencing a genuine enlivening of heart? That is, do my actions provide genuine enthusiasm [recalling that "enthusiasm" derives from "en theos", the "God within"]?

4. Presence as a Sine Qua Non for Generosity

Each of us can regard Christian generosity as our making available his time, treasure, and talent. An important component of each of these is presence. We speak of the real presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and in a correlative way, in the Christian community. What about our own presence? What about the "real presence" of each of us in the context of dispensing our time, treasure, or talent? When I attempt to exercise Christian generosity, do I make an effort to be really present to the person to whom I am relating?

A woman with a serious medical condition had traveled a long distance to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for a delicate operation. The surgeon who was to operate on her was paying a visit to her in her hospital room the night before the operation was scheduled. During their discussion, the woman broke down and began sobbing. She told the surgeon that she wasn't so much frightened by the surgery itself, but that, far away from family and friends, she was so terribly alone.

The surgeon took the woman's hands in his, and said, "You won't be alone tomorrow. I'll be there."

When each of us dispenses time, treasure, or talent in the exercise of Christian generosity to someone, let us remember that we are not merely performing a function, but that we are to be truly present to that person--truly present so that Christ is truly encountered, so that faith is truly encouraged, and so that a heart is truly enlivened.