Generosity matters

A mother had two young sons who often would compete with each other to see who was getting more of something. They would argue or complain when it seemed their sibling had received more than them.

One day at snack time, the mother had each son prepare the other one's snack. She watched as each child poured a very small amount of juice in a cup and placed only a few broken crackers on a plate. In both cases it was clear the child wanted to be sure his brother didn't get too much of something they themselves wanted.

When they were done, instead of giving each brother the snack they'd made for their sibling, she gave it to the one who had prepared it. Both boys were saddened they received such a paltry snack. Even though there was plenty of juice and crackers, the boys had chosen to limit what they got.

In today's reading from Luke, Jesus describes generosity in much the same way as the story above.

When you give generously, it's with that same measure that you will be blessed. But when you are miserly, the same scant measure you have used will be applied to you.

God wants each of us to be generous in giving, not afraid that there won't be enough for us. Our level of generosity should reflect God's own generous nature and show that we trust him to provide for the blessings that we need.