32nd Sunday Ordinary Time (B) 10 November 2024 Sermon

 32nd Sunday Ordinary Time  (B) 10 November 2024 Generosity

The woman gave more than the others because she gave more of herself. It was ‘all she had,’ whereas the rich could give plenty, but they still had a lot in reserve.

It was the same story with the widow in Elijah’s time (first reading). She was preparing what she thought was her last meal, and yet was willing to share it with the prophet. To make matters worse the prophet insisted that she feed him first – a clear hint to us about whether we give first place to God or to ourselves.

To be people who give rather than take. God is Love. The essence of Love is to give without counting the cost. God gives of Himself within the Blessed Trinity, and then extends that out to us, giving of Himself to us in His healing, forgiving, comforting, strengthening etc.

It is not the amount we give but the attitude with which we give it.

This is why a poorer person could give more than a rich one – because he has an attitude of giving. The willingness to give defines his humanity and brings Him close to the Heart of God. When God became human it was generosity that was one of His clearest attributes.

He was generous to the point of death, and this was ‘while we were still sinners’ (Rom 5,8-9).

It is then up to us whether we learn the lesson – in some ways a lifelong lesson.

If we do have a generous attitude, we will receive a hundredfold in return (Mk 10,30) we will have discovered the key to the whole business.

Generous to neighbour, but first to God, in gratitude and obedience.

God will know if we mean it or not, and He will help us to mean it, by implanting His grace – His giving nature. We cannot measure spiritual qualities like purity of the heart, but we can always do things which will increase that quality – such as prayer, such as risking generosity and seeing what happens.

The cynical will deny that true goodness is possible, dismissing it as unrealistic and unattainable, grasping meanwhile for what they can get and keep. We learn instead from the evangelical simplicity of Our Lord, and other saints through the ages who were nearly always in material poverty yet knowing spiritual joy. 

While we want to reduce poverty, we want even more to bring about a change of heart for the better in each person. 

So, we resist the temptation to dismiss generosity as impractical, and we turn to the Lord in prayer to derive every necessary grace from Him. The widow’s food did not run out, and nor will ours if we take this path. God will give us our daily bread, and reward us for our trust in Him.

If we can put all this into practice we have discovered the key to eternal life, the precious pearl that is worth selling all else to possess (Mt 13,44).

So, we also strive for evangelical simplicity, to be generous to the poor even if we are ourselves poor, and so discover a great spiritual richness, which will after all express itself in financial form, while at the same time making the world a more pleasant place to inhabit.