29 July 2018
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Generosity
One of the characteristics of the prophets is that they say and do things that you and I would never say or do, because they seem crazy to us. Consider, for example, that man of God, Elisha, the great prophet. There was once a famine in the land, and a traveler from far away brought Elisha twenty barley loaves. Elisha told his servant “Give it to the people to eat.” But his servant objected, much like you or I would, “How can I set this before a hundred?” But Elisha had some supernatural insight. “Give it to the people to eat,” he said, “for thus says the LORD: You will eat and have some left over.” The servant obeyed, and all ate, and, of course, there was some left over (2 Kings 4:42-44).
You or I might have some reservations about such behavior. “It is easy to be so generous,” we might say, “when you know a miracle is about to happen.” I agree. In fact, I am not writing this reflection in order to make you generous beyond the dictates of realistic prudence. It is far better to use the brain that God gave you to act as a reasonable and realistic steward of all the gifts that you have been given. But, I suggest, it is better still if you will do this: compare the generosity of the man or woman who believes in miracles to the generosity of the man or woman who does not believe. Then ask yourself whether you believe in miracles, and adjust your level of generosity accordingly.