Genesis 18: 1-10a (Sunday, July 22, 2007)

The first reading today invites us to be hospitable. Most times, when we do good deeds, we think of our rewards as being only in heaven. Today we learn that we can even begin to reap our reward here on earth. Today we learn how Abraham receives a blessing from the Lord for his hospitality to strangers. There are few things we need to take note in this story:

• Abraham was very open to the strangers. He did not wait for the stranger to come begging for help but he reached out to the strangers. The reading says that when he saw them, he ran up to them and greeted them. He accepts them and provides for them.
• Abraham also gives to them his best. Even without knowing their names, who they are, he generously give to them the best that he had. He did not give to them his left overs that he did not want, but he gave to them the best that he had.

The reward for Abraham’s generosity and hospitality is the promise that Sarah would bear a son. If Abraham had not welcomed them, he would not have received this promise. Again and again we see this happening in the scriptures. In the story of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, Christ only revealed himself to them when they invited him to a meal. When we were growing up as little children, one thing our parents always insist on was the idea of being hospitable to strangers. My parents would insist that if someone passes by and requests for water or a meal, we should always provide it generously because that person might be God. We heard many scary stories as children in which God had requested for a drink from someone and the person refused and then God turned around and revealed himself to the person. I am always conscious of these stories and when I see a homeless person, I always think of that person being God or Jesus Christ. Jesus himself taught us in the scriptures that whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me. He is present in all the people that we encounter.
In 1Kings 17: 7-24, we learn of the wonderful encounter between Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. She gave of all that she had to the prophet Elijah and in return, Elijah promised her that the jar of flour will not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry. This was the reward for her hospitality and generosity. This woman gave all that she had to the prophet. That is pretty scary right. It takes faith to do this and that is what God is inviting us to do. In America today, there are over 40,000 storage houses. 20% of Americans have things in those storage houses. Some of those things have been there for years and the cost of paying the storage for that time has been even more than the value of the goods in the storage. We’ve got a big problem here. We need to give away those things. There are over 2350 verses in the bible that talk specifically about finances and material possessions. Given that there are only about 350 verses on faith, 650 verses on love and 275 verses on prayer, I think finances and material possessions are of great concern to God. We need to get into the Christian attitude of generosity and hospitality, sharing all that we have with those in need. It is only when we begin to do this that we can begin to experience the freedom and blessings that God has given to us. Isaiah 58: 10-11 tells us that if we feed the hungry and help those who are in trouble, the Lord will guide us continuously and would make the darkness around us be as bright as day. Not only that, the prophet tells us that the Lord will satisfy you with all good things and keep you healthy too.

In Acts of the Apostles 9: 36 – 42, we read of the story of Tabitha. She was a generous woman who made tunics and cloaks. She generously shared this with the members of the community. When she died, the Christians were filled with pain that they called upon the Apostles and Peter restored her to life. Our generosity can lead to our restoration. You will not be able to receive the blessings the Lord has in stock for you, if you are holding too tight to what he has already given to you. This is because your hands would be full and you would not have the capacity to receive more new stuff from him. We need to get into the one year principle of generosity. Look through all the stuff that you have. For some of us, our garages are full with stuff and we cannot even park our cars in them; our basements are full with stuff and then we have extra storages we pay for. Look through, if there is anything you have not used for a whole year, you probably do not need it. Consider giving it out to someone who needs. Five years, ten years, down the line, when you need it, God would generously send someone who would give to you.
God has made us to be generous people. He was first generous by sending his only son to come and die for us. He wants us to be a generous people and joyfully share all that we have with others. It is only when we are generous that we are truly the people God wants us to be. May the Eucharist we share today, strengthen us and give to us the courage to joyfully share all that we have with other members of our community.