Our first reading today almost sounds like a commentary by Paul on Jesus' promise that God will reward us if our deeds of mercy are done, not to gain human praise, but out of a truly religious spirit. The virtue of generosity is part of the Gospel call. Generosity is a form of practical love, a sharing with others of the riches that God has bestowed on us, whether material riches in the form of possessions, or spiritual riches in the form of faith, hope and love, or other graces.

Some people are not happy with the idea of reward, especially the idea of doing something to obtain even a divine reward. Jesus does not, of course, say that a reward should be our motivation for generosity. Any reward given is a divinely bestowed consequence of religious generosity and, as such, can be eagerly anticipated and enjoyed when it comes. Some would prefer to say that we should act purely out of the love of God. But if God loves a cheerful giver, as Paul tells us, then this divine love given to us in response to our joyful generosity is more than ample reward, and any other rewards are the concrete expressions of this freely bestowed love of God.