The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God! Psalm 50:23
“The first point is, to bring to memory the benefits received, of creation, redemption and particular gifts, pondering with much feeling how much God our Lord has done for me, and how much He has given me of what He has, and then the same Lord desires to give me Himself as much as He can, according to His divine ordination.
And with this to reflect on myself, considering with much reason and justice, what I ought on my side to offer and give to His Divine Majesty, that is to say, everything that is mine, and myself with it, as one who makes an offering with much feeling:
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my intellect, and all my will—all that I have and possess. Thou gavest it to me: to Thee, Lord, I return it! All is Thine, dispose of it according to all Thy will. Give me Thy love and grace, for this is enough for me.”
Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) in Spiritual Exercises (translated by Elder Mullen; Grand Rapids: CCEL) 69.
Ignatius is a favorite saint of mine, my wife, and our mobile monk friend, Randy Kipp. We love how the Spiritual Exercises call us to stop, think, reflect with gratitude, and respond. Often when we do, life becomes more clear.
What’s this got to do with generosity? If we don’t slow down enough to realize all that God has done for us, our response will be limited at best and lame at worst. Don’t be offended by my candor, I am trying to get your attention.
Take time on this Saturday to pause and ponder with gratitude all that God has done for you. Do it for five minutes. For some people, that’s torture. Now determine your response to God’s generosity.