GRATUITOUS GOD

Bible gives a beautiful expression to understand God’s goodness and greatness. Bible summarises saying LOVE is God and God is Love. I am sure you will agree with me and with the Psalmist who exclaims God is everything, the Alpha and the Omega. Down the history we see saints and sages living such an austere life just as an expression of their gratitude to God. Theologically we know God’s limitlessness, omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. All these three attributes of God are extension of God’s goodness. It is said that when we share the joy doubles. That is exactly what I feel about the generosity of God. All that we enjoy and cherish are not because we deserve, but by His sheer love, mercy and grace. The difference between the generosity of Divine and the human is immense. For, God gives us all that we need before we ask and in return he doesn’t expect anything from us unlike human generosity. Be it a mother, father, teacher or any social worker, everything is centred on some sort of selfishness. On the contrary God’s love is so much that He even gave up his son as a ransom for many. God’s nature is to give and give and unfortunately our nature is to get and forget.

 That is exactly what we here in Genesis; God created everything and made us as the crown of Creation.

Friends, given the question who is God for me, I would answer; our God is gratuitous and benevolent God. For, without His generosity I believe I am nothing. Each moment of my life is of his sheer generosity. I would like to express His generosity in terms of Mercy, Love and Providence. Mother Theresa, the saint of the poor says, “yesterday was his Mercy, Today is his Love and tomorrow will be his Providence.” Thus we completely depend on the benevolence of God. Mother Mary is the best example as she signs the Maginficat raising her voice saying “my soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.” King David sang Psalms and danced out of joy and gratitude to God for the wonders done in his life.

God’s magnanimity is so great that nothing goes unnoticed from his sight; not even the microscopic creatures. The creator is ever kind and generous although his creatures are forgetful and ungrateful despite making us the agents and the crown of creation. Dear friends at this juncture, my humble exhortation is to have the heart of mother Mary, St Francis of Assisi and Mother Theresa to raise our voice to sing Maginificat through our deeds and words. Thus we can join with his master pieces; flowers, trees, mountains, rivers, animals, sky and the earth including our fellow brothers and sisters thanking God for the wonders we see. Thus we make the age old slogan “Think green and live green” a reality.

Jesus himself sets a beautiful example as he was humble and grateful from womb to the tomb. “Learn from me for I am humble and gentle” are the golden words of Jesus and his prayer ‘Our Father’ is the joyful invitation to thank God at every moment of our life. Thus we make our life meaningful to us and to the others as we live our mission glorifying God’s goodness. St Irenius says, ‘Man/Woman who is fully alive is the glory of God.’