Reflection for November 10, 2024

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

1 Kings 17:10-16 | Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 | Hebrews 9:24-28 | Mark 12:38-44 or 12:41-44

On this Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, let's take a moment to think about the importance of generosity.

When Saint Teresa of Calcutta heard about a poor Hindu family in Calcutta who had been starving for days, she visited them and brought a large parcel of rice for the mother. To her surprise, the mother immediately split the rice into two equal portions, taking one bundle to her Muslim neighbor. When she returned, the "Saint of the Slums" asked her why she had done such a generous act. The woman replied, "My family can manage with half of the rice in this bag. My neighbor's family has several children, and they, too, are starving."

You don’t need to be wealthy to make a difference in someone’s life. Even when we face our own struggles, we can still find ways to help others. Think about the gentile widow of Zarephath from today’s first reading: she and her young son were on the brink of starvation after her husband's death. Living outside Israel, she was beyond the protections of Jewish law and likely one of the poorest in her community. Yet, in her dire poverty, she welcomed the prophet Elijah, using her last “handful of flour” and “little jug of oil” to make bread for him. Her selfless giving was met with a miracle: an endless supply of flour and oil to sustain her through the famine. Similarly, we've seen examples of remarkable generosity in our own communities. The impact of events like the Triumvirate of Kristine, Leon, and Marce has been severe. Many of us have lost family members to floods and landslides, businesses have collapsed, and too many families have fallen into poverty. Despite this hardship, people across the country have come together to help, often supporting strangers with either material or moral support. This crisis has shown us that, like the widow of Zarephath, we too can practice generosity, even in times of scarcity. As Catholic Christians, we are called to be giving people, responding to those in need with compassion and action. As Anne Frank wrote, “No one has ever become poor by giving.” Every small act—sharing food, offering our time, or simply listening—can make a difference. Giving in times of need shows a deep compassion, proving that everyone has something valuable to give. With this in mind, we have an opportunity to serve. On November 16, we will visit orphans and vulnerable children in Tagaytay. They are in need of basic provisions like rice for daily sustenance and long bond paper for printing study materials. Let’s seize this moment to live out our call to generosity.

Have you ever received a gift and wondered, "How much thought really went into this?" Sometimes, we end up with gifts that don’t resonate with us. In fact, an American Express survey on Christmas gifts found that fruitcake was the top pick (31%) for the "worst" holiday gift, even more unpopular than receiving nothing at all! Many of those fruitcakes end up being regifted, sparking even a list of dos and don’ts—like avoiding regifting within the family and making sure it’s nicely wrapped. The point is, sometimes we receive things we don’t want, and we can fall into the habit of giving others what we don't value ourselves. When that happens, our gifts come across as half-hearted. True giving, though, should come from genuine thought and care, rather than just passing along what we’re eager to let go of.

The second reading reveals the immense generosity of our Lord, who gave everything for us. If we desire to be truly generous, we should look beyond human examples and fix our gaze on Jesus Christ’s unmatched generosity. No gift has ever been so immense, no act so selfless, and no event in history so important as His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus left His heavenly kingdom, stepping down from glory to take on human form. Even that alone would have marked Him as the most generous person ever. But Jesus didn’t stop there—He didn’t offer a mere gesture but gave His entire self in love and sacrifice. His generosity was absolute. While we can never outdo Jesus’ generosity, because His love is infinite, we can aim to reflect it. Each act of genuine kindness and selflessness, however small, brings us closer to His example. The key is to try to be as generous as possible, seizing every opportunity to do good and help others. As St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina reminds us, “To fail in charity is like wounding God in the pupil of His eye.” We are called to a generosity that mirrors God’s love—a love that does not hold back.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta shared a moving example of sacrificial giving. "Some time ago, we had great difficulty getting sugar in Calcutta. One day, a small Hindu boy, just four years old, came with his parents and brought me a cup of sugar. He said, 'I didn’t eat sugar for three days. Give my sugar to the children under your care.'" This little boy demonstrated a love so deep that he was willing to sacrifice something he cherished to help others.

Sacrificial giving goes beyond just giving what is easy or comfortable; it is about giving in a way that challenges us, pushing us to go beyond our means. If our giving doesn’t stretch us, doesn’t cause us to step out of our comfort zone, then it’s not truly giving. Typically, our generosity—whether in the form of time, talent, or treasure—comes from our surplus, fitting into our daily lives and responsibilities. However, the poor widow in the Gospel gives everything she has—two small coins—out of pure generosity. She doesn’t just give from what’s left over; she gives her best. This calls us to give our best in service to God and others, not just the scraps of our time or resources.

Sacrificial giving involves giving up something precious. As parents, we sacrifice for the well-being of our children. We let go of our desires or comforts to help them grow into responsible adults. We make sacrifices for major purchases, like a home, and some even sacrifice parts of themselves, such as donating a kidney to a loved one. At times, we sacrifice relationships, creating space for God to work in our lives. When faced with decisions, we can ask, “What requires the most love?” Should I donate or not? Should I help that person in need? Should I volunteer at church? Whatever demands the most love, choose that. Some say that the bigger our paycheck becomes, the larger is the increase in our expenses. On the contrary, if we are blessed financially, we should not raise our standards of living; rather we must raise our standards of giving. In closing, as we strive to give sacrificially, let’s draw inspiration from Saint Teresa of Calcutta, who said, “Love means to be willing to give until it hurts...If you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

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