Saint Frances of Rome, Religious (Optional Memorial)

Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.

When you put flour in a canister, only so much will fit in before it overflows.   But if you fill it and then gently shake the canister, the flour settles a little bit, and then there is room for more.   Eventually, though, you’ll come to the point at which the flour overflows the canister and spills out onto the counter.   That’s a great image of how God so generously gives us his grace—to overflowing.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 6:36-38), Jesus says that the measure we use will in return be measured out to us (Luke 6:38).   In other words, as we generously give to the people around us, we will receive God’s overflowing generosity!   Let’s take a closer look at his words to see how that can play out in our lives.

Give.   Jesus calls us to give to one another generously—even to people we might not like very much.   When we stop judging and condemning, we are giving patience and compassion.   When we forgive, we are giving mercy.   When we put a priority on the needs of other people, we empty ourselves and make room for God’s blessings and grace to fill us.

Gifts will be given to you.   God wants us to be filled with his love and his life. So when we try to respond with mercy and compassion, it makes space for his life to come into us more deeply.   God sees our efforts and loves us.   It also mirrors the way our forgiveness or patience can touch the person receiving them.   It just might motivate them to respond in kind to us—or to pay it forward to someone else in their lives.

Overflowing.   Here’s the beauty of it. We receive so much more than we give.   In Luke 9:12-17, Jesus takes a few loaves and gives his followers so much more in return!   When it comes to mercy and compassion, our smallest efforts are rewarded in overflowing measure—kind of like that container of flour.

So give forgiveness and understanding to someone today.   Let your heavenly Father fill you with his gifts in return.   And don’t be surprised if it inspires you to give all the more.

“Lord, help me to empty myself by giving so that you can fill me.   Let your life in me overflow!”

Daniel 9:4-10
Psalm 79:8-9, 11, 13