24 November 2014
Memorial of Saint Andrew Dūng-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
When I was a Jesuit novice, I went to Alaska for my novitiate experiment. One day, a Yupik Eskimo lady invited me to her home for dinner. She has a very small house but she shares it with her five adopted children. Out of her compassion she has adopted five Eskimo children from troubled families. Her generosity reminds me of the poor widow in the Luke’s Gospel who give out of her own poverty. Nevertheless, when I shared my experience to a friend of mine, he responded that we should treat the contribution of rich people and poor people as equal because there are many rich people who also have a good heart to love and to share out of their abundance.
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta believed that the present generation is more generous than their parents’ or grandparents’ generation. They are better prepared to sacrifice for the service of others. The present generations, especially the youth, are growing up in the middle class families with wealth and privilege, but they might not find happiness in their comfort and middle class status. Like the poor widow, they are willing to share out of their unhappiness. Perhaps we should ask ourselves, whether we are willing to share out of our unhappiness like those unhappy middle class.