Great generosity is sharing out of one’s own need
Nov. 10—32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: 1 Kgs 17:10-16; Psalm 146, R. Praise the Lord, my soul!; Heb 9:24-28; Gospel–Mark 12: 38-44
In one of the meetings of the executive directors of Caritas Asia member organizations, I was chatting with one of them and we exchanged stories of our aborted studies for our Ph.Ds.
While I am still hoping to complete mine before turning 70, he shared how he had given up hope but would still write on the topic he had wanted to submit for his research. The title was still very clear in his mind: “The Margins are the Center.”
I shared with him one of my insights during the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines in 2013. This was during the gathering of the youth at the University of Santo Tomas.
A young girl from among the street children, if I remember correctly, was asked to speak. In her address to the Pope, she asked why children like her had to endure the plight of being victims to so much evil, breaking into tears as she spoke.
The Pope stood up and, with a gesture more powerful than any explanation, hugged the little girl and the young boy who was with her.
At that moment, I realized and felt in my heart that we, those belonging to the upper 20-30 percent of the population, are the marginalized, and the majority who live in poverty and the evil the little girl described lies at the center of the Lord’s heart and embrace.
This was the Lord’s message in today’s Gospel, an invitation to poverty. I propose three considerations: the poverty of humility and authenticity, the poverty of sharing out of one’s own need, and the poverty of sharing one’s wealth with “ridiculous” generosity.
The first thing the Lord taught the crowds was not to imitate the pride and hypocrisy of the scribes. It was all for show to be seen and treated as honorable men, but deep down they were rotten and corrupt.
They are to be condemned. It was an invitation to authenticity and, from what the Gospel described after the critique of the scribes, to humility.
Humility
Humility is the virtue that inspires great generosity. In the example of the poor widow, we see the poverty of sharing out of one’s own need. This is great generosity.
Years before the pandemic, I ran several sessions for one company that wanted to understand more deeply their DNA of service.
One part of the session was the sharing by two people that the company’s outreach program helped.
One was a mother whose husband and three children had a rare disease of brittle bones. To make ends meet as they got the treatment in a government hospital in Manila, she made plastic flowers, tissue holders out of beads, and many other items to sell.
The other speaker was an elderly lady who lived in the poorer section of Manila. Her advocacy was to let street children experience the luxury of a good bath once a week with sufficient water, soap, and shampoo. She would solicit funds for this campaign from the members of her parish, since she herself was not well-off. After the bath which they had in the parish compound, she would conduct catechism classes.
After the talks, the executives who attended the session bought all of the items the mother was selling and donated to the elderly lady to buy soap and shampoo.
As we escorted the two women to the van that was to take them home, the mother slipped money into the hand of the elderly lady and said, “Konting tulong ko po sa napakaganda niyong ginagawa” (my little help for such a beautiful thing you are doing).
“She, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” This is the poverty of sharing out of one’s own need. This is great generosity.
Great generosity is not in the size or amount of one’s donation. Great generosity lies in the greatness of soul with which one gives, cum magna anima, the magnanimous giving of self.
The great soul is the one capable of living the poverty of sharing one’s wealth with “ridiculous” generosity.
Living simply
Last Monday I mentioned in my Kapamilya Daily Mass homily the story of Chuck Feeney who, not coming from a well-to-do family, managed to set up one of the biggest duty-free companies in the world. Despite his wealth, he and his family lived simply.
He set up a foundation that helped schools and hospitals all over the world and did so while remaining anonymous. His instructions to his foundation were to donate practically all his wealth within a deadline he set.
At the time of his death, he had given away $8 billion. And he had invited Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to give part of their wealth to poverty alleviation programs while they were still alive, and also to put such programs in their will.
Feeney’s greatness of soul in giving became one of the inspirations of “Giving Pledge.”
As its website states, “The Giving Pledge is a promise by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.”
The margins are the center. They lie at the heart and loving embrace of Jesus. We are the marginalized. But we can join them.
Like the poor widow, let us give with a greatness of soul—like the mother who gave to the elderly lady, and like Chuck Feeney.
And like the Pope, let us embrace the poor who cry out and ask why they suffer the inequality and injustice of our system.
Let us embrace them with solidarity and fraternity, with “ridiculous” generosity that comes from a great soul. Magna anima.
