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The third sign of a Dynamic Catholic is Generosity.
- The happiest people I know are also the most generous people I know.
- God is generous, and generosity is at the heart of the Christian life.
- Generosity begins with gratitude.
- Dynamic Catholics live in a state of gratitude. They have an overwhelming sense that their lives have been blessed.
- The world draws us into a conversation about all that we don’t have, but God invites us into a conversation about all that we do have. We are at our best when we are grateful.
- When we speak about generosity at church we usually do so in the context of stewardship, and we talk about three categories: time, talent, and treasure. Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. As Christians, we are taught that our time, talent, and treasure are all on loan to us- and that one day we will have to account for the way we managed them.
- Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.
- Generosity is a trademark of Dynamic Catholics. They are generous with their time and talent and with their money and possessions, but their generosity goes way beyond these commonly defined areas. They have not just a spirit of generosity, but a spirituality of generosity that reaches deep into every corner of their lives. Generosity is central to their value system, and they often think in terms of how they can do the most good with what they have at their disposal.
- The 7% are generous lovers, parents, and grandparents. Their neighbors and colleagues at work often acknowledge them among the most generous people they know. They are generous with their praise and their appreciation. They are especially generous with their encouragement. They are constantly encouraging people all around them. The scope of their generosity reaches into every aspect of life.
- Establish giving goals. Give one percent more of your income this year than you did last year to your church and favorite charities. Increase this giving percentage by one percent of your income each year until you reach a tithe of 10% (or until it simply is not possible or prudent for you to give any more). Goals bring out the best in us. We have goals for everything else; isn’t it time we had some generosity goals?