“The more they place their hope in the Lord with regard to all things that concern them, whether of soul or body, the more they will find that the Lord provides for them. In the end they will regard themselves as lower than all other creatures because of God’s many gifts, visible and invisible, bestowed on both soul and body . . . The more they give thanks to Him and try forcibly to exert themselves for the sake of His love, the more God draws them through His gifts and longs to fill them with peace.”
Peter of Damascus (twelfth century) Christian monk and theologian in “The Classification of Prayer” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarius of Corinth, Volume 3 (London: Faber & Faber, 1984) 146.
Today I am teaching on “Extravagant and Impactful Generosity” in Wisconsin, and I picked this meditation from my reading of the Orthodox Church Fathers as it indirectly relates to my topic. Conference attendees are coming today because they want to see extravagant and impactful generosity unleashed in their lives and among those they serve.
Peter of Damascus would suggest that it will happen when God’s people “place their hope in the Lord” in prayer. In so doing, they will be transformed to see the generosity of God, which causes them to live into the power of His love, experience His peace, and subsequently serve as conduits of His blessings as recipients of “God’s many gifts” both visible and invisible. Join me in praying that each hearer today, as well as each reader of these meditations, will grasp that such generosity is rooted in truth, lived out by faith, and empowered by God’s love!