Talk About Generosity!

Americans are a generous people. We lead all countries in voluntary giving but we should not rest on our laurels. The fact is that we have been given a great many gifts. We live in the freest and most prosperous country this world has ever seen. We are relatively free from war, pestilence, famine, and a host of other catastrophes that exist throughout the world. For this we should be thankful and that should lead us to be generous indeed. God has been good to us. We should return the favor by being generous to God. We do so by being generous to those most in need.

Unfortunately too many of the elite see such generosity to be a function of government, thus something the rest of us should give to, not by choice but by force. How much better it would be if there was a personal contact between those who have and those who receive? Instead of dealing with a government bureaucracy that treats them like a number, the poor would receive help from real people. That is why private and church charities are so important. They are people reaching out to people. In my own parish’s ministries, the human compassion and dignity offered are just as important as the food or help that is received.

Perhaps we have the wrong heroes. I read today where Britney Spears makes $737,000 a month. Yes, that’s each and every month or $8,844,000 per year. Out of that $737,000 a month, she gives an astonishing $500 to a charity, and of course it is a charity that bears her name, the Britney Spears Foundation. I hope her fans give generously because her giving is a sham. Someone who has been given everything should be very generous. Perhaps I should be more generous with Britney but I am shocked at her lack of gratefulness for the gifts received and her non consideration for others. We should not be surprised however. She is part of a popular “Me First” media culture that calls on us to spend on ourselves first.

We don’t have to judge Britney or any of her contemporaries but we should see in this example how human selfishness can be overwhelming and work to avoid this trap ourselves. Nobody I know thinks that Britney is happy. If anything she seems to be on a self destructive path and deserves our compassion and prayers. She is living proof that Jesus was right when he said that we must die to ourselves to find true life. We will never find what we need in things or status. We will find it in God and in each other.

We can learn to be generous and that most things we want are not really needed and won’t salve old wounds. That will allow us to seek healing, be comfortable with ourselves, and to truly enjoy the gifts that surround us each day. We are gifted and life offers many experiences that lead to personal growth and happiness. All too often we are so set on a better future that we ignore the current life we are living. By the time we “make it” we find that we were chasing a false dream and often it is too late to connect with those we ignore on our climb up the ladder.

There is nothing wrong with ambition or bettering ourselves but we need to also enjoy each day of our life. We need to realize the gifts God has granted us this day and understand that the people we live with, interact with, and work with are with us today and need us today. They are God’s gift to us. Those children will never be this age again, this event will never be repeated in the same way again, and life cannot be rewound. This is not a trial run but is the real thing. Live your life generously, share your gifts, accept the gifts shared by others, and know that you are loved. This is God’s gift to you.

Father Steven Foppiano

.