Generosity

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Acts 28:1-2

The first ten verses of the 28th chapter of the Book of Acts contain several extraordinary miracles that might be so outrageous as they cannot be believed.

The first miracle is when Paul throws a pile of brushwood on a fire and he is bitten on the hand by a viper. So tenacious was this bite that the viper fastened itself and would not let go. Can you picture Paul holding out his arm and there’s a snake just hanging there? The local islanders were so shocked that they believed that Paul was a murderer and that the goddess Justice finally caught up to him. But when Paul suffered no ill effects from the hanging viper, they changed their minds and decided that perhaps Paul was a god.

And then there’s the part of the narrative where Paul heals the chief official’s father. Even though healing stories are familiar in scripture, can we say that makes them no less extraordinary? The story goes on to say that this action was so well received that the inhabitants of the island who were sick came to Paul and were cured.

Harmless snake bites and healing the sick might grab the headline, but what might easily be overlooked in this narrative, however, are the acts of kindness from people who lived on the island of Malta.

Having no reason to trust Paul and his companions, when they washed up on shore, the islanders showed them unusual benevolence. Despite not knowing them, these new friends built them a fire (from which Paul’s serpent emerged!) and took them in out of the rain and cold. Soon after, the leader of the island welcomed Paul into his home and showed generous hospitality for three days. Upon departing, these new friends gave what they were able to speed Paul and his friends on their way.

What we find in this generosity is a truer and more compelling extraordinary miracle. God works to turn complete strangers into great friends, especially when they're going through a hard time. It's interesting how sometimes people who may seem unrefined or unsophisticated are actually the most approachable and friendly. In fact, the actions of so-called barbarians or heathens can shame those who claim to be civilized Christians. God is always raising up people to be a source of comfort and blessings during tough times.

How often in your own life have you been blessed by the kindness of those who are most unlike you? When have you been given a gift by a person whom you, for whatever reason, would normally avoid? When has a person stopped to help someone else who is down when their own resources are meager?

And the question we are called to ask of ourselves: When will we be that person who helps, who gives and who shares? How can we be an extraordinary and miraculous part of someone’s story of need?

A prayer from St. Ignatius:

Dear Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will. Amen.