When I was a young nun, one of the older sisters used to encourage me by saying, ‘you can never be more generous than God’. She also practised what she preached: she was an exceptionally generous person, with material things, but also generous with her heart, with her love. She was a friend to many people, including me. This sister was human like all of us and she had her faults and failings, but she was so generous, and I know that her generosity stemmed from her faith and from her experience of God. She was generous beyond what was reasonable and beyond what is usual. I believe she was a holy person, a person close to God. I often think of her and feel grateful to have learnt something from her.
Jesus tells us, ‘the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given’. ‘Give and there will be gifts for you, a full measure pressed down and running over’.
We can never be more generous than God. I pray for the gift of generosity.
