The parable of the generous landowner reveals a crucial insight about God and an invitation to becoming greathearted toward those around us.
Tag Archives: Generosity
25th Sunday of the Year: A generous heart for the Lord. Catholic Inspiration
25th Sunday of the Year: We call upon the Lord for a generous heart.
Study: How have I reacted in the past when someone I know has been particularly blessed or fortunate? Am I supportive or jealous?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the grace and wisdom to celebrate sincerely with others when they have received special gifts or opportunities.
Serve: How can you support others in their moments of blessing? How might you be generous with gratitude for another person’s good fortune?
Mass Readings – 25th Sunday of the Year
Consider the following possible situations and scenarios:
- Your neighbor that you have known for over twenty years has just won the lottery.
- A high school classmate that you didn’t talk to very much in school makes it big in Hollywood.
- A relative gets left a hefty sum of money from your old uncle and goes on a long trip around the world.
- A kid who used to ride your bus to school is now the executive at the company – and is your boss.
- A fellow employee in another office gets a big bonus for a successfully completed project.
- Your best friend has the opportunity to have a special audience with the Pope – through a connection with a friend in the Vatican.
All of these scenes have one thing in common: through an encounter with generosity and/or opportunity another individual benefits and possesses rewards that we do not share.
How do we react? How do our attitudes and actions change toward those who have received unexpected (and sometimes unearned) generosity? While I know that I hope that I would be good natured, polite, friendly, and supportive – a part of me echoes with the sentiments of the workers in today’s Gospel.
There is a sense of justice, a feeling that we should get what we deserve that goes against the grain of the message today. The last workers got the same wage, even though they only worked a fraction of the time. It’s not fair!
In reality, the story went beyond fairness. No worker was cheated. No worker was denied a fair and agreeable wage. The Master simply wanted to be generous out of concern and care for others.
The fact is, God is generous to all of us. There are moments when we have fallen short of the Lord’s justice through sin and temptation. Yet like the workers today, we receive God’s generosity even when we have not earned it. May we live accordingly.
Note: This blog was originally published on September 14, 2014.
Daily Mass: Three qualities to apply as we serve the Lord. Catholic Inspiration
As the Lord empowers the Apostles for their work, he gives them some insights into how they are to do it.
Daily Mass: An insight into God’s generous grace. Catholic Inspiration
The Lord’s parable about the landowner who hires workers throughout the day offers us an insight into how God continues to extend grace and mercy to us throughout our lives.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 20th Week of the Year
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Catholic Inspiration Archives
18th Sunday of the Year: Beware of greed
Study: Are there situations in life where you find greed present? Ask yourself what is the source of this excessive hunger for more.
Pray: Call upon the Lord for the grace to use your resources wisely.
Serve: How can you be generous with your life today?
Mass Readings – 18th Sunday of the Year
The Lord cautions us to “guard against all greed” in the Gospel today, yet another reminder of the timeless power of our faith to speak to the human heart. Let’s take a moment to break down some common aspects of greed:
- Self-centered, focusing on “what I want”
- Excessive, always wanting more
- Applies to a wide variety of human wants – money, fame, power, food, etc.
Greed disregards the needs of others as the individual focuses entirely on self. Seeking more and more, it pushes other things aside in a quest to acquire. And while we often associate greed with money, the Lord’s warning against all forms of greed is apt…we can be greedy about so many things!
So what’s the cure? How do we combat greed in our lives? Here are some key ingredients:
- Gratitude – being thankful for what we have
- Contentment – seeing the blessings in our lives
- Stewardship – using wisely the resources in our care
- Generosity – sharing the gifts of life with those in need
- Prayer – fostering our relationship with God, the source of all gifts
By weaving these elements into our lives we cultivate a perspective that sees all resources as gifts from God that are to be used wisely and well. We have been richly blessed by the Lord! May we live and share our lives in such a way that Christ’s love shines through all that we do.
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Note: This post was first published on July 25, 2016.
32nd Sunday of the Year: Giving generously. Catholic Inspiration
Two widows offer examples of giving generously in the Scriptures today. Three words – gratitude, sacrifice and expectation – can offer insight into how we can be generous as we follow the example of Jesus.
Mass Readings – 32nd Sunday of the Year
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32nd Sunday of the Year: Generosity as a way of life
Study: Reflect on a moment when you gave generously of your time, resources, or money. What was the cost, and what did you discover?
Pray: Take time to thank the Lord for the blessings lavished upon you. Cultivate gratitude in your heart and express it in your life.
Serve: Who has the Lord placed in your life to serve? How can your life be a blessing of generous giving to another?
Mass Readings – 32nd Sunday of the Year
The theme of generous giving runs through these four readings this week:
- Old Testament – the widow who gives to Elijah some bread from her scant resources
- Psalm – the Lord who gives sight, hearing, freedom, justice, food and hope
- New Testament – Christ who gives his life, once for all, that we might have salvation
- Gospel – the poor widow who gives two small coins…all that she has
Let’s look at how this theme surfaces throughout these readings.
Earthly blessings. The psalm reminds us that God is the source of all that we have, and it begs a simple point: Are we grateful? I know firsthand how easy it is to take even the simplest blessings for granted. All it takes is to lose something that is part of our routine (health, work, friendship) to rediscover the gift that was right in front of our eyes.
Spiritual Salvation. Jesus Christ offers his life once-for-all that through his death and resurrection we might have eternal life. The Father gave his only Son that we might be saved. This profound act of divine generosity speaks of a love that is vast and all encompassing. God does this for us!
Profound human generosity. These two women gave from their need, not their want. It was not surplus food or money…it was their livelihood. It is crucial to note that no gift is too big or small in God’s eyes; what’s crucial is the relationship between the offering and the person – is it given as a token or as something of value?
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Do we take time to acknowledge the blessings we have? No really…do we pause in the course of our day – in a moment of prayer – and thank the Lord for the gifts we have been given? Let me be clear: without gratitude generosity means nothing, for without thankfulness we have no appreciation and respect for the gift that is given.
And equally crucial point follows: Do we give generously? Do we share what we have in a manner that shows our prayer and reflection? All gifts, great or small, are precious in the Lord’s eyes when they are offered in a spirit of love; all gifts, great or small, lose their significance when they are given without respect for the sacrifices and blessings they represent.
Simply put: we give generously out of gratitude for God’s generous gifts to us! Take a moment this week to pause and reflect on your blessings. Then consider the ways that you can offer your life. Whether it is with time, talent, or treasure – God will take our gifts, generously given, and make them a blessing in the world.
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Note: This post was first published on November 2, 2015.
Daily Mass: God’s generosity toward us. Catholic Inspiration
Jesus offers a parable that reveals God’s amazing generosity toward us…inspiring us to extend that generosity to one another.
Mass Readings – The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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25th Sunday of the Year: Are you ready for God’s sunset? Catholic Inspiration
Mass Readings – 25th Sunday of the Year
If your life were to be considered as a single day, what time is it – morning, noon or night? Are you ready to step into eternity or is there something holding you back? God lavishes grace upon our world; our task is to be open to the generous gift of grace and receive it into our hearts.
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25th Sunday of the Year: A generous heart.
Study: How have I reacted in the past when someone I know has been particularly blessed or fortunate? Am I supportive or jealous?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the grace and wisdom to celebrate sincerely with others when they have received special gifts or opportunities.
Serve: How can you support others in their moments of blessing? How might you be generous with gratitude for another person’s good fortune?
Mass Readings – 25th Sunday of the Year
Consider the following possible situations and scenarios:
- Your neighbor that you have known for over twenty years has just won the lottery.
- A high school classmate that you didn’t talk to very much in school makes it big in Hollywood.
- A relative gets left a hefty sum of money from your old uncle and goes on a long trip around the world.
- A kid who used to ride your bus to school is now the executive at the company – and is your boss.
- A fellow employee in another office gets a big bonus for a successfully completed project.
- Your best friend has the opportunity to have a special audience with the Pope – through a connection with a friend in the Vatican.
All of these scenes have one thing in common: through an encounter with generosity and/or opportunity another individual benefits and possesses rewards that we do not share.
How do we react? How do our attitudes and actions change toward those who have received unexpected (and sometimes unearned) generosity? While I know that I hope that I would be good natured, polite, friendly, and supportive – a part of me echoes with the sentiments of the workers in today’s Gospel.
There is a sense of justice, a feeling that we should get what we deserve that goes against the grain of the message today. The last workers got the same wage, even though they only worked a fraction of the time. It’s not fair!
In reality, the story went beyond fairness. No worker was cheated. No worker was denied a fair and agreeable wage. The Master simply wanted to be generous out of concern and care for others.
The fact is, God is generous to all of us. There are moments when we have fallen short of the Lord’s justice through sin and temptation. Yet like the workers today, we receive God’s generosity even when we have not earned it. May we live accordingly.
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Note: This blog was originally published on September 14, 2014.
