You Will Be Repaid at the Resurrection | iPray with the Gospel
“When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Luke 14:1,7-14
Generosity is about giving without expecting anything in exchange… Giving until it hurts. When we give in that way, we are not just helping others; we are primarily helping ourselves. We are the first beneficiary of our virtue of generosity.
There was a woman who, as a child, was crippled by polio. She became angry with God and was mean to everyone around her. By chance one day she came into contact with members of a parish who showed her a lot of love. She returned to that parish every Sunday and her frozen heart warmed up. The parish started a campaign to raise funds for refurbishment. The woman surprised everyone by announcing that she was giving $45,000 to the parish. Her family was stunned. When they asked her where she was going to get all that money, she told them that since her childhood she had been saving bit by bit in order to buy a handicapped van with a lift. Her parish was now more important to her than her dream van. She said: “I am so thankful that God healed me of my crippled heart! I can walk now… in the way of His Son. I need my parish more than I need that van.” When a group of people heard of her sacrifice and experienced her radiant joy in her new-found freedom, together they bought her a lift-van anyway. They remained anonymous… and when she was presented with her new van there was a note on it from these parishioners that simply said: “Thank you for showing us how to walk with Jesus.”
Our generosity can change many things, but first of all it changes us. It is the giver’s heart that changes with every gift. Then, once our hearts are changed, we can change the environment. Holy Mary, you can teach me about generosity; help me to be generous, until it hurts.
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Rev. George Boronat
Rev. George Boronat M.D. S.T.D is a Catholic priest from the Prelature of Opus Dei, working in the Archdiocese of Southwark in London. He is the Chaplain of The Cedars Independent School in Croydon, and also works as Chaplain of Kelston Club & Study Centre (Balham) and Oakwood Independent School (Purley). He has developed his pastoral ministry mainly with young people and is the author of iPray with the Gospel: Resources to Help Young People Pray.
