Radical generosity
From today’s Scripture: “Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”—Mt 5:41
Let no one fool you: true Christianity is no easy thing. We people are hard on each other. We do difficult things and build resentment when others are difficult toward us. And our Lord expects us to be generous until it hurts!
This call for radical generosity competes with our own common sense. Do we really need to give something to everybody? What if a beggar is sitting in an intersection, and we feel sure the money he seeks is to support a drug addiction? Surely we are not to be generous in a way that hurts someone! But what if a person on the street is hungry? Who’s to decide which situation is which?
Jesus’ challenge offers no easy answer. We might do well to err on the side of mercy.
Let us pray: Lord, create in me a generous heart. Help me to see beyond my own needs to the needs of those around me, especially the poor.
Today’s author is John Feister, an award-winning journalist and leader of Glenmary’s Communications Team.
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