Wednesday August 18: True love is always generous

Read today’s Gospel. Matthew 20:1-16

“ Why should you be envious because I was generous?”

There are many things in life that aggrieve us. Sometimes we can work them through and other times they torment us to death. It seems our culture is often ruled by envy and not so much generosity. We tend to look grudgingly at the achievements of others and forget our own blessedness.

We sometimes find it difficult to celebrate the blessedness of others.

I remember the many sibling rivalries at home when I was a child. It was perceived that some were favoured and would get off from certain chores while others were not so fortunate. “It’s not fair”, we argued. However it was the unconditional love of our parents for each one of us that held our family together..

We have been brought up to believe that life’s rewards are calculated on the basis of performance and achievements, but this passage helps us to understand that true love is always generous, challenging us to move beyond envy and possessiveness.

Prayer: Lord, give us a generous spirit so that we may rejoice in the blessedness of others