If you were going to pick a Gospel reading to describe the Fruit of the Spirit of Generosity, what would you pick? I would pick the story of the widow who put everything into the temple treasury or the parable of the Good Samaritan or maybe the Prodigal Son.
I would not pick today’s Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount:
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
Yet, when I began digging into commentary on this section of Jesus’ description of how to live in the Kingdom of God, I encountered again and again that this Scripture describes the Fruit of the Spirit of Generosity.
All of the sources I read made the point that a supernatural Generosity gives with no expectation that anything will be received in return. Wouldn’t the Widow’s Mite or the Good Samaritan have demonstrated that? Well, yes. But not as completely as today’s passage. As I began to look at that, some conversion began in me.
What Is the Fruit of Generosity?
If I put myself in the widow’s place, I have the peace of mind and joy that I have given all to God. I have confidence that God will somehow take care of me. That’s something in return.
If I see myself as the Good Samaritan, I have the comfort of knowing that I reached out to help someone who might have died had I not come along. That is something in return.
If I am the Father in the Prodigal Son, I have my son back—as my son. That is a great thing in return.
I realized that in all those circumstances, giving of material goods is traded for a sense of virtue. Those examples would demonstrate the human virtue of Generosity—a certain freedom around material possessions to respond to requirements of law or the needs of others. That kind of virtue of Generosity would be an antidote to the personal sins of greed or avarice. All good.
BUT, in today’s Gospel Jesus sets a standard for a different level of generosity, Generosity in the image of God. This generosity isn’t just an antidote for personal sin, but rather a means of changing the effects of evil in the world. It is virtue on the offensive. Let’s look at the five examples Jesus gives.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
This is a summary sentence for all that follows—and, taken in the literal abstract sense, it seems impossible to do. Crazy to do. Aren’t we supposed to fight evil? The answer is yes, but we have to be very careful not to use evil ways to do it—like becoming defensive or fighting back. Supernatural Generosity uses God’s ways of overcoming evil. How? That’s what Jesus goes on to describe.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
Do the motions. If someone were to slap your right cheek, the natural thing would be to cover your right cheek with your hand and turn your body away—or swing around and hit the aggressor back with your left hand. Translated to general terms, that would mean to turn away from that person, no longer interacting with him/her, or to do something to hurt them back. Either way, you are not stopping the evil–only protecting yourself.
Jesus is saying in effect: If someone physically or emotionally hurts you, remain Good (Generous). Stay in the relationship. Continue to be your loving self. You cannot expect to get anything in return, but you stop evil because you don’t do the next warring thing.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Here the example is about security and dignity, as well material goods: If someone humiliates us (such as by taking us to court), refuse to fight. Make a humble response. Choose to give more–freely–rather than get into a “he said/she said” struggle. A sense of injustice can be a covering for pride. Be satisfied to wear humility. Again, you stop evil.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Jesus says to give your time and effort freely. Give more than is asked–willingly. It might be more than you expect to give, but do not let the investment of yourself be limited by some arbitrary rule. Give until the job is done. This ending of evil is probably more aimed at yourself. It stops resentment or entitlement.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
Here Jesus gives the reframe which makes all of this possible for me: When confronted by the evil of others’ selfishness or injustice, don’t take the bait. Don’t let Ebeneezer Scrooge turn you into the Grinch That Stole Christmas.
Jesus Is Not Saying, “Be Co-dependent”
The therapist in me says, “Wait a minute, Jesus. Are you telling me to be co-dependent?” Co-dependency is a term initiated in the world of alcoholism. It means letting yourself get so hooked into another’s dysfunction that you actually foster that dysfunction by your goodness.
As one who has been co-dependent in my life, I can tell you that the co-dependent person’s passivity does not stop evil. It may look like generosity, but it instead becomes self-protective, prideful, and passive-aggressive. In fact, the wisdom of Al-Anon communities teaches exactly what Jesus is saying here: the loving thing to do is to do what it takes to maintain your ability to live and love as your whole, healthy self, not as a person stuck in the web of addiction dynamics.
From St. Paul
St. Paul is saying pretty much the same thing in the first reading. He lists ways in which supernatural Generosity has been required of him as a minister of God (afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonment). Then he uses the words “by” and “in” to describe what he has done to be able to live by supernatural Generosity in those situations, including vigils, fasts, patience, unfeigned love, and truthful speech. He finishes with how that Generosity bore Fruit of the Spirit, “we are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful; as dying and yet we live; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor and yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.”
That gives me even more direction and conviction of the great value of the Fruit of supernatural Generosity. Today’s readings are creating a conversion in me. They help me see from a new angle how my thoughts in the night sometimes prevent me from being light in the day.
Prayer:
Lord, keep working on me. These readings confront me with a richer definition of Generosity and the realization that I have not fully asked you for that grace nor have I seen how I can have it when encountering afflictions, hardships, and constraints. You have shown me now. Thank you! Open my mind and my heart to fully embrace what you are teaching me. Help me repent, be converted, and bear fruit.
