Generosity is something we are all taught is a good and noble thing.
We are also being taught that we can not help others from an empty cup, meaning we must
not give constantly until burnout.
The virtue of generosity therefore will look quite different from person to person. And yet
we can tend to judge the ‘generosity’ level of others without having all the facts ourselves.
Some things I have learnt living in various places, is that the easiest act of generosity is
giving money, when one lives in an affluent society, but this can be a big act for some, if
their money is important to them. In other places, I have seen people sitting at a café or
walking the street with those far less fortunate than themselves, giving them time,
conversation and attention. A generosity not in money but in acts. Whether we are
generous in time, money, or attention, to be generous in spirit is to do all ungrudgingly –
with the virtue and the act of loving God and neighbor in mind, no matter how we do it
compared to others. Sometimes we feel victimised doing all the work in the parish, while
other members are no where to be seen besides their Sunday obligation. Yet you don’t
know where their generosity is directed to in that stage of their life. How they are making a
difference elsewhere, and the disposition of our heart and their’s.
Sometimes the easiest place for generosity is the hardest place to give.
Mother Teresa emphasised charity must begin at home. And yet here is often where the
least public adulations and thanks is given.
Who of us has the patience after a big day at work, or with the kids, to sit with your parent or grandparent
and help with their phone or TV, with the technology they don’t understand? The patience
and desire for giving may be at an all time low, but the abounding graces, love and
possibility for connection and joy for you as the giver is at an all time high. It is in giving that
we receive.
“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” – Mother
Teresa
By giving in love, we receive love.
And something I have learnt is that the more I give even in the smallest of things, the more
God gives back, whether time, money, joy, love or otherwise. It can not be transactional
with God, but He has also taught me He is very generous.
Here at Virtue Ministry, we try to emphasise Sunday Best, Rest and Worship on our socials. This we hope
provides some inspiration how to fill your cup on Sundays to be ready and fresh for the
week ahead.
What if we considered our Sunday Best, Rest and Worship to incorporate giving to others
while also filling our cup also? This Sunday, would you consider playing board games with
your parents or grandparents, making tea and cake for friends, giving money to the church
for fresh flowers, tidying a space for peace of mind for the family, or striking up a
conversation with a new or lonely parishioner?
It is in giving that we will receive and to give generously in small ways means we will receive
generously in the ways God sees fit.
“If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:11
You can check out our Sunday posts on Facebook and Instagram.
Written by Grace Feltoe
Grace Feltoe is behind the social media, marketing and administration for Virtue Ministry and the Living Fullness Podcast. Her other job is as a musician – soprano, piano teacher and promoting traditional sacred music.