GENEROSITY

BY ELIZABETH ZURANSKI

You have probably heard the line from 2 Corinthians, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). If these words make you cringe just a wee bit, you are not alone. We hear them, and immediately think of our selfishness, stinginess, and grudgingly-performed acts of “charity.” While ideally we want to give cheerfully, beating ourselves up about falling short is counterproductive. Rather than approach the virtue of generosity as a negative duty, thinking of it in terms of “what/how much do I need to give,” I would like to propose the following: let us approach generosity in light of the gifts we have received, thinking “how can I respond?”

The negative approach to generosity is one of fear, of careful budgeting and calculation. “If I go help Mrs. Smith this afternoon, I won’t have time/energy left to do my own chores.” I am reminded of the Israelites in the Old Testament, hoarding manna in the desert. We forget, perhaps, that God has foreseen every instant of our lives from all eternity. And that He has arranged the details in such a way so that we can be happy with Him for all eternity. Our fears may come, in part, from comparing our lives with those of the saints—saints who were called to give in ways that we are not called to give. St. Francis of Asissi, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Isaac Jogues and others come to mind. But consider 2 Corinthians again. The very next line after “God loves a cheerful giver” is this: “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work” (2 Cor 9:8). God doesn’t ask us to give what we do not have. He gave special graces to St. Francis, and asked a special mission of him. He gave different graces Mother Teresa—a spiritual bouquet crafted for her alone. And thus with the others; they received graces tailored to them, specific to their mission. We must trust that He will not ask us to “be generous” in a cause for which He has not equipped us. “But what graces has He given me?” And, “am I accepting them?” In the proposed approach, generosity as a response to God’s munificence wells up naturally from gratitude and love. Generically, the answer to our question “how can I respond?” entails complete openness to the grace of God—an embracing of reality, with all of its joys and sorrows, with childlike trust in the Father. Specifically, though, the answer is very personal. It depends on our circumstances: our state in life, temperament, health, financial situation, and the graces that God gives provides at any given moment.

Of course, our circumstances are not an excuse to shirk cheerful giving; on the contrary, prayerful consideration of them will help us evaluate our situation honestly. “Since I broke my leg, perhaps working at the soup kitchen this weekend isn’t what I’m called to do. Lord, how else can I serve You with my broken leg?” Recommending that we adopt a radical trust in our heavenly Father, let us ask: “What has God given to me today? And how can I respond to the generosity of Him who loves me so much?