13 / 04 /2020
Prayer of Generosity
Dear Lord teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.
Amen.
The prayer is an uncomfortable and dangerous prayer because it is the renunciation of our comforts and the renunciation of the right to complain. Instead, we are asking God to make us steadfast in His service.
Sometimes, we believe in the lie that comfort is all that there is and if comfort is stripped away, then there won't be anything there. But this prayer of generosity helps us to rule out anxiety, to lose ourselves and find ourselves in Christ so that we may further his works.
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The Tightrope (Podcast)
We have been praying St. Ignatius's Prayer of Generosity during our online Masses and it really struck me deeply a few weeks back.
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At that point, I was doing menial but tedious things for school, some of which I did not enjoy and were not my responsibility. As a result, I was whiny, bitter and calculative. I didn't like the way I was feeling. While I was caught up in my emotions, this prayer appeared on my screen and it so aptly summarised the grace that I needed - to let the Lord teach me how to be generous. To know that He has given me the ability to cope with things I think I cannot handle and to know that any discomfort I experience helps me rely on the Lord more.
Reflecting upon this prayer, Jesus brought to mind a few parables in the bible. When Jesus compares the widow's two coins to the rich men's gifts (Luke 21:1-4). When a little boy risked his own provision and comfort, offering his five loaves and two fishes to help others. And God divinely multiplied these gifts to meet the demands of greater works (Matthew 14:14-21).
These parables and the podcast showed me what God can do with little acts of generosity. They also inspired me to think about how I can practice the spirit of bringing God to others during this period of circuit breaker. To put a little more thought into using kinder words when checking in on people, to perform more small acts of service for my family members and to donate to the vulnerable who have been affected by the situation.
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Dear brothers and sisters, I pray that you will allow the Lord to inspire you to live this season of Easter meaningfully. Whether it's an action, making a donation or words of expression - no gift is too small!