Point for prayerful reflection: God is the One who provides us with the grace to respond with generous hearts in order that we may learn "to give without counting the cost."

Brief Notes on the Theme:
Generosity is a word that carries rich meanings. It comes from the Latin root word gener which means to beget or to generate (offspring). The act or process of begetting is essentially a choice for life. It involves self-giving.
Thus, the word generosity is closely linked to the fruitfulness and fertility of all God's creation - for everything God has created is capable of renewing life. Therefore, a person who is generous reflects the Divine capacity to give and extend life. Such a person is unselfish, magnanimous, open-handed, and free from meanness or smallness of mind or character.
He or she is capable of giving without expecting anything in return or without "counting the cost" of his/her self-giving.
The fruit of the Spirit's indwelling in us is manifested in our generosity. Thus, the more generous we are, the more fruitful our lives will become.

Scripture Meditation #1

1 Kings 17:7-16… "The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as Yahweh had fortold through Elijah."
Guiding Notes
In this story, the widow of Zarephath gives to the prophet Elijah who asks for food and drink the only thing left in her cupboard: "the handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug" from which she could prepare a little piece of cake. In giving away her last source of food for herself and for her son, the poor widow is offering her life for the sake of another.
God is inviting us to be like the widow of Zarephath - to give generously of what we are and have to others in need, even if this might mean depriving ourselves of our own resources. When we give generously to the point of emptying ourselves for the sake of others, God in turn fills us with grace and multiplies our gifts, talents, and capacities. What we have and possess are not for ourselves alone. God gave them to us to share with others.
Reflection Questions
a) In what ways does this story speak to me?
b) How have I experienced God's invitation to share myself generously to others? What areas in my life is this invitation manifested?
c) In what ways am I responding (or not responding) to this invitation?
d) What feelings, images, insights, realizations are evoked in me during this period of prayer?

Scripture Meditation #2

Luke 20:45 - 21:4..."Truly, I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. For all gave an offering from their plenty, but she instead, out of her poverty, gave everything she had to live on".
Guiding Notes
In Jesus' time, the widows were considered one of the "little ones" of society because, like the orphans, they had no legal rights nor did they have anyone to protect them. People would take advantage of their vulnerability, even some teachers of the Law who would lodge at their homes and live at their expense (cf. Luke 20:47).
Through the example of the poor widow, Jesus wanted to point out to his listeners the generosity and open-handed attitude that is necessary for those who want to be his followers.
Reflection Questions
a) In what ways am I struck by this passage?
b) In what ways am I like the rich who gave from their excesses?
c) In what ways am I like the poor widow who gave from her poverty?
d) What are my feelings and realizations?

Scripture Meditation #3

2 Cor. 9:6-15..."God will multiply the seed for you and also increase the fruit of your good works..."
Guiding Notes
In this passage, St. Paul reminds us that the amount of harvest we reap will depend on the amount of seed we sow. The more we allow ourselves to be used as divine instruments, the more God will fill us with the capacity to give of ourselves more adequately and generously. God is the one who loves, cares, gives and serves others through us. All that is asked of us is to be willing to cooperate with God's grace.
Reflection Questions
a) In what ways does this passage speak to me?
b) What areas of myself am I being asked to give more generously?
c) In what ways do I resist the Divine invitation?
d) What are my feelings, images, insights, realizations?

Scripture Meditation #4

John 12:3-8..."Then Mary took a pound of costly perfume made from genuine nard and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."
Guiding Notes
Mary was sensitive to Jesus' suffering - to his feelings of loneliness at the face of his impending death. By allowing her to anoint him, Jesus wanted his disciples to learn the essentials of love itself. Love impels us to pour out lavishly upon the other our very selves. Generosity therefore is at the heart of love itself. It sharpens our sensitivity to others and enables us to minister unselfishly to their needs.
Reflection Questions
a) What stirred within me as I prayed over this passage?
b) In what ways am I asked to follow the example of Mary?
c) What am I impelled to pour out lavishly upon the Lord?
d) What are the images and symbolic acts that come to the surface as I meditate on this passage?

Other Scripture Suggestions:

o Matthew 19:16-24..."If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all that you possess and give the money to the poor to become the owner of a treasure in heaven..."
What are the possessions I find difficult to part with and to share with others especially the poor?

o Luke 8:4-15..."The good soil, instead, are people who receive the word and keep it in a gentle and generous mind..."
In what ways is this scripture passage challenging me to grow in my capacity to be generous?

o Luke 10:25-37...The Good Samaritan
What are the lessons about generosity that the story on the Good Samaritan is teaching me?

o Luke 12:13-21...Parable of the Foolish Farmer
What is Jesus trying to teach me through the parable of the foolish rich farmer who built bigger barns to store all his possessions?
o Acts 4:32-35..."for all who owned property or houses sold them and donated the proceeds... to be distributed to everyone according to one's needs."
What struck me about the lifestyle of the first Christian community?

o Acts 16:11-15… "After she (Lydia) and her household had been baptised she kept urging us, 'If you judge me a true believer in the Lord,' she said, 'come and stay with us.' And she would take no refusal."
In what ways is God inviting me to open my heart to others and generously extend hospitality to them?

o Acts 20:32-35..."In every way I have shown you that by so working hard one must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus himself said, 'Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving.'"
In what ways do I feel challenged to do good and be generous in sharing myself with others?

o 1 Timothy 6:17-19..."Commend the rich of this world not to be arrogant or to put their trust in the uncertainty of wealth… Let them do good, be rich in good deeds and be generous; let them share with others..."
In what ways do I feel challenged to do good and be generous in sharing myself with others?

o 2 Corinthians 8:2-3..."While they were so afflicted and persecuted, their joy overflowed and their extreme poverty turned into a wealth of generosity."
In what ways have I experienced overflowing joy in spite of my affliction, and wealth of generosity in spite of my poverty?

o Romans 12:7-8..."You must, likewise, give with an open hand..."
What does "giving with an open hand" mean to me?