III — GENEROSITY

Presence of God. — Enlarge my heart, O Lord, in generosity, so that I may know how to give myself totally to your service.

Meditation

1 — Generosity is a virtue akin to magnanimity, but it has a broader field in that it embraces not only great things, but everything concerning God’s service, urging the soul to perform all with the greatest dedication. Generosity is the virtue that teaches us not to spare ourselves, not to calculate, never to say “enough,” to give ourselves totally, to act with maximum love in great things and small, even the very least. Only the soul that has freed itself from egoism’s entanglements can be fully generous, that is, capable of giving itself totally to the service of the ideal, to fulfillment of its mission, without turning back upon itself, without letting itself be stopped by personal preoccupations.

If we truly understood that our vocation comes from God and that God has prepared on our path all graces needed to correspond to it in the most perfect way, we would not let ourselves be discouraged by the sacrifices it imposes. Egoism, self-preoccupation, and discouragement are all enemies of generosity; they are “earth and lead” that weigh down and make our spiritual life more laborious than ever, preventing us from flying toward the heights. Why reduce ourselves to walking “at a hen’s pace” (St. Teresa, Life 13, 5), when God has made us able to fly like eagles? St. Teresa of Jesus laughs, with a touch of holy irony, at souls afraid of doing too much for God and who, under pretext of prudence, measure with a centimeter their acts of virtue: “Do not fear they will kill themselves! In this their eyes are very open, nor is their love so strong as to make them go into delirium. But I would that we were not content to serve God in this way, always so slowly as never to arrive at the end. If eight days are enough for a journey, does it seem right to spend a whole year?” (Interior Castle III, 2, 7).

The shortcut to arrive quickly at the goal is generosity, generosity that is fruit of love and at the same time begets love.

2 — To become generous, one must first learn to forget oneself: forget one’s own interest, comfort, rights; not count how much one has toiled and suffered, but think instead of one thing alone: giving oneself totally to God and to souls. “For God, his good pleasure. For neighbor, his advantage at expense of my own. For myself, what is most painful in order to please God” (Blessed Marie-Therese de Soubiran): this is the program of the generous soul. It wants to use its life, strengths, and capacities only to give itself ceaselessly to the Lord, because it knows that precisely in total self-gift consists the greatest love. “To love is to give all and to give oneself” (T.B.G. Poesie).

To become generous one must learn to do with one’s whole heart not only what is obligatory, but also what, though not obligatory, gives greater glory to God. St. Teresa of Jesus gives us an “aureate rule”: to place as the “first stone” of one’s spiritual building the decision to “follow what is most perfect” (Way 5, 3). This proposal may seem too bold, yet the Saint does not speak at random. Even if at first the soul will not always succeed in discerning or doing what is most perfect, still this resolution — if sincere, accompanied by humility and trust in grace’s help — will be a great incentive to do always better, always more, preventing it from settling into tranquil mediocrity.

It is very important that the soul desirous of divine intimacy cultivate this disposition within itself; thus little by little it will reach total self-gift, the gift God awaits in order to give Himself wholly to it. “God does not give Himself wholly except to those who give themselves wholly to Him” (St. Teresa, Way 28, 12). Even here below God wants to give Himself to our souls, but the measure of his gift will be proportioned to ours, related to our generosity in giving ourselves to Him.

Colloquy

“O Lord, how little we do for You! Unless we wish to esteem as great virtue and mortification certain tiny acts, like grains of salt, without weight or volume, which a little bird can carry away in its beak. It is misery to give weight to certain sacrifices made for You, though they be numerous! Yet I always do so, forgetting at every instant how much I receive from You. It is true, in your great mercy You value very much even these little acts of virtue; but I would not wish to count them at all, nor even notice I do them, for they are trifles.

“Forgive me, my God, and do not hold it against me. Since I serve You in nothing, I must at least console myself with some little service, certain that if I served You in greater things, I would not account these nothings. Happy one who serves You in great things! If the desire and holy envy I have for it counted for anything, I would surely not be among the last in pleasing You! But I am good for nothing, O Lord! Give me a little strength, You who love me so much!

“My God, grant that I may no longer be content to serve You in little things, but may sacrifice in your service all the strength I possess! Help me to make You an absolute gift of my soul, clearing it of everything so that You may add or take away as You wish, as from your own property. Besides, You have every right to it, and I want to be careful not to dispute it. You force no one and accept what is given to You, but You do not give Yourself wholly except to those who give themselves wholly to You. You love order greatly and do not act in the soul except when You see it empty and wholly yours” (St. Teresa of Jesus: Life 39, 13; 20, 23; Way 28, 12).

“O most beloved Word of God, teach me to be generous, to serve You as You deserve, to give without counting, to fight without caring about wounds, to work without seeking rest, to spend myself without expecting any other reward than knowing I am doing your holy will” (St. Ignatius).