The past few weeks of the Sermon on the Mount have been about being generous. The sermon moves to address worry which is tied to fear of shortage of necessities.
Author Joseph Epstein sees it this way: “The practice of generosity can serve as a corrective to addictive consumerism. Generosity enacts the quality of non-greed; it is a willingness to share, to let go. It may be giving of time, energy, resources, love and even in rare cases, one’s own life for the benefit and welfare of others. Generosity weakens the tendency of attachment and grasping and is intimately connected with the feeling of loving-kindness.
People who experience the power and joy of generosity will also experience its effect on consuming. The cultivation of generosity offers a very strong antidote to the wanting mind and would be a powerful corrective if taken up in a widespread way across our culture. A powerful corrective – seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Prayers, Linda
