The Reading from 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 The Reading from St. Luke 6:31-36 Every year in the Orthodox church we are carried through the life of Christ. Every year we are presented with the teaching of Christ and the words of the Apostles. It is evident after experiencing this for decades, that we need lots of reminders in order to learn how to follow Christ, to truly be His disciples. Sometimes the words are so familiar. Other times the Holy Spirit brings to our awareness something that we need to hear, a word that we need to apply to our lives for our salvation. In any case, it is essential that we pay attention, pray for wisdom, and ask that the Lord would help us put into practice what we hear. What we hear today from the Holy Scriptures is a reminder about generosity. The Golden Rule, reward based on our actions, our attitudes. Generosity is noun- Liberality in giving or willingness to give. Kindness or magnanimity. Amplitude; abundance. Perhaps the most important element for us in finding generosity is: 1. Generosity of possessions. Believing a Christian truth, I don’t own anything. All I have was and is given to me. I am a steward of what was given me to use for the sake of the Kingdom. So, if I recognize that all that is in my power to control is a gift from God, that I will give an account for all that He has given me, I will become generous, following the generosity of God. He makes the wicked holy by His kindness. Generosity. Last Sunday I spoke about our God being a prodigal God. By which I mean, He is not stingy with what He gives us. He gives with liberality, prodigally. As it is written, we love Him because He first loved us. We give mercy and grace to others due to the fact that we have decided to become more like God. Which means we open our hands and our hearts and are generous with all we have, imitating God. Treat people in the way that you like to be treated. This is love for another. Remember - love is not selfish. This includes loving the unlovable, and our enemies. Conversely, we also are reminded that if we do not act this way, there are consequences. Brethren, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. There is an amazing truth in authentic Christianity- you can determine your heavenly reward, based on your generosity. Generosity with possessions, money, capital, worldly possessions. Generosity here reflects trust that God knows and provides, that He loves a cheerful giver, not a miserly giver. Brethren, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Remember with me the Hebrews who were saved and came out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, on their journey to the Promised Land. Because of sin, and fear, they were not allowed into the Promised Land until that generation that did not believe God had died, so for 40 years they wandered in the desert. And yet, they were provided for. Food and drink, their shoes did not wear out. Bread came down from heaven called manna. The people every morning went out and collected manna for the day. If they did not trust God and tried to gather enough for today and tomorrow, the portion left overnight for the next day would spoil. This taught them the lesson of the Lord’s Prayer, give us this day our daily bread. Not weekly bread, daily bread. Trust in God that He will provide everyday the needs of that day. Don’t worry about tomorrow, today is enough to worry about. When we learn to trust God to provide all that we need, we will more easily be generous, we will have no fear of tomorrow. We will know that we won’t die of starvation. Then in John chapter 6, Jesus tells us that He is the bread that came down from heaven. If we eat of Him we will never die. He did not fear tomorrow. We don’t need to fear for our daily needs. This holy dependency upon God creates generosity with our possessions. We are taught to give back to God the best portion of all we have been given. He is generous, takes care of our essential needs and tells us to be the same way. I am consistently amazed when I read the lives of the saints with their generosity. A large number of wealthy pagans became Christians and gave away all their possessions to help the poor, build monasteries and churches, built orphanages, hospitals and did many acts of philanthropy. The word philanthropy comes from the Greek philos (loving) and anthropos (humanity)—meaning “love of humankind.” This is John 3:16 2. Generosity of spirit is a bit different, in the way that it is an attitude, a spirit of giving, rather than hoarding, building bigger barns. Think of the widow who gave a very small offering, yet the Lord blessed her due to the fact that she gave sacrificially. Generosity of spirit means I am liberal in my love for mankind, my kindness toward others, my desire to help others. My refusal to see people for how they appear physically rather than who they are. I am generous with grace and mercy toward others. Generous with compassion. The Lord said: “As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6 This is love. What do we do if we find ourselves without this capacity to love? St. Silouan of Mt. Athos wrote on this topic of love often. He says, “If we are incapable [of loving our enemies] and if we are without love, let us turn with ardent prayers to the Lord, to His Most Pure Mother, and to all the Saints, and the Lord will help us with everything, He whose love for us knows no bounds.” He goes one saying, “I continuously beg the Lord to give me the love of enemies. . . . Day and night I ask the Lord for this love. The Lord gives me tears and I weep for the whole world.” This is generosity of spirit, it is an imitation of Christ. for He is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; Luke 6:35 This is called The Enlargement of Your Heart. As the Lord opens our heart with His generosity, it begins to encompass the universe. We are stingy with our love, except for ourselves; but this is not love. Love cannot abide the thought of anyone rejecting the mercy of God and prays for the whole world. This is a monastic practice that is not for monks and nuns only. It is for us. I beseech you, put this to the test. When a man affronts you or brings dishonor on your head, or takes what is yours, or persecutes the Church, pray to the Lord, saying: “O Lord, we are all Thy creatures. Have pity on Thy servants, and turn their hearts to repentance,” and you will be aware of grace in your soul. To begin with constrain your heart to love enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good will, will help you in all things, and experience itself will show you the way. But the man who thinks with malice of his enemies has not God’s love within him, and does not know God. St. Silouan These are not simply suggestions, they should become a law for our lives. St. Silouan also says something terrifying: “Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit.” May we be numbered among those who know the Lord and His love.