Never Measure Generosity

“Never measure your generosity by what you give, but rather by what you have left.” Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Recently, I needed to give a lift to someone who needed transportation after a simple medical procedure. After I dropped them off, I found some money sitting in my car. I was surprised. When I asked about it, the answer I got was that time was money, and I was paid for my time. It was not necessary to pay me for the lift, but it was an incredible gesture. In the same week, I needed to go to a funeral visitation. The line was long outside the entrance as soon as it opened for guests. I was shocked and when I read the obituary, there was nothing but praise for the deceased. Again, I was surprised. Generosity was even remembered in death. We do get what we give, as cliché as that sounds.

“Brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love!  The heart of the Gospel is the love of God that makes us brothers and sisters.  With my predecessor Leo XIII, we can ask ourselves today: If this criterion ‘were to prevail in the world, would not every conflict cease and peace return?’  Pope Leo XIV

I have been pleasantly surprised with our new Holy Father. When I heard who was elected, I quickly prayed for him, because all the popes need our prayers. It is important. I read about Blessed Eurosia Fabris Barban (Rosina) who died in 1932. She did not have much education, but she had a reputation of being devout. She eventually married a widower who had lost one of his three children. She married this man and had nine children of her own. Her life was an example and witness for others in the community. She was a Franciscan tertiary and taught her children virtue. I also read about Toshiko Sasaki who lived through the bombing of Hiroshima. Her parents were killed along with countless others. She suffered her own ailments because of the bombing but tried to care for others. A Jesuit, Father Kleinsorge, visited her often and she was struck but his concern. She entered the Catholic Church in September 1946. One event after another created other events that led to all these people finding their place with Christ and His Church. We need to pay attention to everything in our lives.

“I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus.” St. Francesca Cabrini

How many of us will go where God will lead us? Are we even listening During this Easter season, we read mostly from the Acts of the Apostles. What witnesses we read about in scripture during this time! The paralyzed man at the portico, Tabitha, the selection of Matthias as the 12th apostle, and the conversion of Paul. There are so many events that we read about, and we are left in awe. I am still gobsmacked when I see generosity around us. It will come back to us hundredfold. We cannot do things for this reason; we can only give and not count the cost. In a society where everything is measured and people expect something in return, the common mentality cannot overtake us. We need to throw our anchor on Christ. We need to look at the examples of the saints, of people around us who are ahead of us in the faith. I am friends with a Carmelite cloister near my home. I do not see them much, but I am aware of their presence when we contact each other. We need to stay attached and the risks of life do not become easier, but they are less daunting.

“Jesus is as a fire in the very centre of our souls ever burning. Yet, we are cold because we do not stay in it.” St. Elizabeth Ann Seton