Generosity that endures forever
June 21, 2023 - Wednesday, Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious.
Psalm 112:1bc-2, 3-4, 9
According to the psalmist, the fear of the Lord marks a life of a righteous person. And with such a life comes the recompense. The psalmist speaks about the posterity and prosperity of such a person. The best example can be Abraham, an extremely wealthy person in his lifetime and considered the father of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Abraham was also generous. He gave “a tenth of everything” to the mysterious king of Salem and the priest of God Most High, Melchizedek (see Gen. 14:18-20). He cared for those who fought by his side and served in his household (see Gen. 14:21-24). And when three mysterious travellers passed by his house in the heat of the day, Abraham prepared a lavish banquet for them (see Gen. 18:1-8).
The other person who fits the description of the righteous person is Abraham’s descendent, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ life was focused on the will of the Father and he lavishly gave us his entire life. His generosity is evident in the Gospel - in all the requests that he answered, the miracles he performed, and the lessons he taught. I cannot think of anyone else except Jesus Christ, of whom can be said that “he is gracious and merciful and just” (Ps 112:4). Jesus’ ultimate proof of his generosity is his death on the cross for our salvation. Moreover, the fruit of his death cannot be nullified. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection transformed the world and has a lasting impact on the history of humanity. The one who loved us to the end (see John 13:1) set us free from the power of darkness and brought us into the light of faith.
In the history of the Church, we find many examples of saints who took the lesson of Psalm 112 into their hearts and imitated Jesus Christ in their lives. There is Saint Nicholas, born around AD 280, the only child of a wealthy couple. After inheriting their wealth, he was generously and anonymously sharing it with the poor. St. Martin gave half of his military cloak to a poor beggar. St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a 13th-century queen, after the death of her husband, used her riches to help the poor and founded a hospital in honour of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Maximilian Kolbe gave his life for a fellow prisoner in a German concentration camp in Auschwitz. Their generosity also endures in the memory of the Church, and they teach us to see the crucified Christ in all those in need.
Jesus’ generous life and those who imitated him have left a lasting impact on our world. Many billionaires share a portion of their riches to help the poor or save our planet. Many ordinary people donate their little income to different humanitarian causes. And there are still many people who risk their lives to save others. I often think about 18-year-old, Muelmar Magallanes, a Filipino man who in 2009, during one of the typhoons saved the lives of thirty people from floods but then had no more strength to save himself.
There are many recompenses of the righteous, but the most valuable is their lasting impact on the lives of others. Those who fear the Lord and obey his commands recognise that every person has a unique value in the eyes of the Lord and worth the utmost sacrifice of the Son of God. They know that whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord (see Prov 19:17) and that if “Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” we also “ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (see 1 John 3:16).