For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10
“What is “grace”? It is God’s own life, shared by us. God’s life is love. Deus caritas est. By grace we are able to share in the infinitely selfless love of Him Who is such pure actuality that He needs nothing and therefore cannot conceivably exploit anything for selfish ends. Indeed, outside of Him there is nothing, and whatever exists exists by His free gift of its being, so that one of the notions that is absolutely contradictory to the perfection of God is selfishness. It is metaphysically impossible for God to be selfish, because the existence of everything that is depends on His gift, depends on His unselfishness.”
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) in The Seven Storey Mountain (New York: Image, 1970) 207-208.
This trip is a gift of grace from God to my son, Sammy, and me. We get to be gifts for others because of His gift, His grace toward us. It’s our privilege to guide for the group.
Generosity is not about getting money in order to give it. It’s about realizing we are undeserving of love and getting lavished with it by grace in order to dispense it. My hope is that Sammy and I return to the States changed in order to do the good works God has prepared in advance for us.
What about you? I have invited you on this “Seven Storey Mountain” journey with us not for the scenery but to expose selfishness for what it is, contradictory to the perfection and maturity God desires for us. Sometimes we have to step away from the norm to see it.
Take five minutes. Revel in the “infinitely selfless love” of God. In this world filled with exploitation, lavish it on someone generously to give them life today.