You will be blessed

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Little Things with Great Love

The Porter's Gate

Today is Wednesday the 5th of November, the feast of All Saints of the Society of Jesus, in the 31st week of Ordinary Time.

Madison Cunningham with the Porter’s Gate sings, ‘Little Things with Great Love’.

In the garden of our Savior, no flower grows unseen;

His kindness rains like water on every humble seed.

No simple act of mercy escapes His watchful eye —

for there is One who loves me: His hand is over mine.

In the kingdom of the heavens, no suffering is unknown;

each tear that falls is holy, each breaking heart a throne.

There is a song of beauty on every weeping eye —

for there is One who loves me: His heart, it breaks with mine.

Oh, the deeds forgotten; oh, the works unseen,

every drink of water flowing graciously,

every tender mercy, You’re making glorious.

This You have asked us: do little things with great love,

little things with great love.

At the table of our Saviour, no mouth will go unfed;

His children in the shadows stream in and raise their heads.

Oh give us ears to hear them and give us eyes that see —

for there is One who loves them: I am His hands and feet.

3:25

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 14:12-14

[Jesus] said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’

4:45

Fractal Flow

Niclas Lundqvist & Raphah

Of course, there is nothing wrong with inviting friends or family round for dinner. Jesus surely joins us at these gatherings and delights in the conviviality. Yet there is something else he seems to want from his closest friends. Jesus is encouraging us to find creative ways of being radically generous.

Generosity towards the poor, welcoming strangers, hospitality to those who cannot repay us concretely, random acts of kindness: the closest followers of Jesus do these things.

When have you surprised yourself by your own generosity? What’s it like to remember that? What is that like for Jesus who sees you doing it?

Listen to him again and notice that deep longing in him for an epidemic of generosity...

8:16

Luke 14:12-14

[Jesus] said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’

9:15

Is there something that suggests itself to you now, a way of being more extravagantly generous? Why not speak to Jesus as one friend speaks to another about it?

11:32

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

World without end

Amen