The world proposes selfishness as the path to happiness. God proposes generosity as the path to happiness. Look at what happens in the next few days. God does not hold anything back from us. From Holy Thursday to Good Friday to Easter Sunday, we see the unbounded generosity of God.
The Church calls these three days the Triduum. They mark the end of Lent and lead us into the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
The Triduum begins tonight with Jesus humbly washing the disciples’ feet. This may not sound like much, but think about the times. The disciples’ feet likely were caked with dirt from the road. Not a pleasant task by any means, but Jesus poured himself out nonetheless.
Even more astounding, Jesus institutes the Eucharist. He gives his very body, blood, soul, and divinity to not only the disciples at the Last Supper, but also all of us to receive regularly at Mass. It is an unfathomable gift. Embrace the gift.
God invites us to a life of gratitude while the world fosters discontent. God proposes trust; the world arouses fear. God promotes giving; the world promotes getting. God invites us to cooperate with his Providence while the world rallies behind self-determinism. God appoints us in stewardship while the world touts ownership. The world encourages entitlement when in reality everything is a gift from God. God invites us to look out for our neighbor; the world tells us to look out for ourselves. God operates from abundance; the world operates from a place of scarcity. God created us out of generosity to live generous lives; the world encourages us to live a small, selfish life.