The Gospel tells us that, after the Annunciation, Mary “arose and went with haste into the hill country” to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Those few words reveal much about the character of Our Lady. From the moment she gave her wholehearted consent to God’s plan, her life ceased to revolve around her own interests. Whatever personal hopes or plans she may have had were immediately placed at God’s disposal. There were no excuses, no hesitation, and no attempt to negotiate the demands of her vocation. From that day forward, Jesus became the centre of her life, and everything else found its proper place in relation to Him.
The Gospels tell us relatively little about Mary’s life, yet what they do reveal consistently presents a woman whose attention is directed towards the needs of others. She remained with Elizabeth for several months, helping her through the final stages of her pregnancy and assisting after the birth of John the Baptist. Later, at the wedding feast of Cana, it was Mary who first noticed the embarrassment of the young couple when the wine ran out. Before anyone else seemed aware of the problem, she quietly—no, naturally—intervened, bringing the need to her Son and trusting Him completely. These episodes were not exceptional acts of generosity but expressions of the person she had become. We can easily imagine that the hidden years in Nazareth were filled with the same spirit of loving service. Those who lived beside her would surely have remembered countless acts of kindness that attracted no attention because they were offered simply and generously.
Mary teaches us that generosity begins by forgetting ourselves. Her days were filled with ordinary responsibilities, yet she carried them out with extraordinary love because she lived constantly in the presence of God. Every task became an opportunity to love Him by serving those around her. The home of Elizabeth was sanctified not only because the unborn Christ entered it, but because the one who carried Him also brought with her a heart entirely given to God and to others. Wherever genuine charity is present, Christ Himself is present.
Generosity is one of the distinguishing marks of a great soul because it seeks its reward in the act of giving rather than in anything received in return. Jesus instructed His disciples, “Freely you have received; freely give.” Those words describe a way of living that is radically different from the spirit of the world. We are naturally inclined to calculate what we receive in return for our efforts, our affection, or our sacrifices. The generous person gradually learns another way. He gives his time without counting the cost, offers encouragement without expecting appreciation, forgives without keeping score, and helps others without making them feel indebted. He has discovered the truth expressed by St. Paul that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
This generosity is not merely a matter of temperament. It is a deliberate choice rooted in love. To love someone is to desire his good and to give something of ourselves for his sake. Such love requires detachment, especially detachment from our own ego. As St. John Paul II observed, freedom from self-centredness is one of the secrets of a balanced personality and of lasting happiness. As long as we remain imprisoned within our own concerns, disappointments, and ambitions, our hearts become smaller. When we learn to give ourselves generously, our hearts expand. The more we love, the greater our capacity for love becomes.
For this reason we should frequently turn to Our Lady and ask her to teach us true generosity. We need her help first in our relationship with God, so that we may hold nothing back from Him, and then in our dealings with those around us. Our opportunities for generosity are found not only in extraordinary sacrifices but in the ordinary circumstances of each day: in our homes, our workplaces, our friendships, and our encounters with strangers. Mary shows us that holiness is built largely from these daily acts of self-forgetfulness offered with love.
Even when we sincerely desire to become generous, we often discover how deeply rooted selfishness remains. At such moments we should not become discouraged. Instead, we should look again to Our Lady, asking her to teach us the joy that comes from giving ourselves to others. Selfishness rarely destroys the spiritual life all at once. It works gradually, turning our attention inward until our own plans and interests become the measure of everything. We begin to judge events primarily by how they affect us, and little by little our hearts lose the freedom that belongs to the children of God.
Mary points us in the opposite direction. Close to her we begin to understand that we were created not for ourselves but for God. Whenever we cling possessively to our own ambitions or become absorbed in our personal projects apart from Him, something within us withers. The Kingdom of Heaven is beyond all price, yet it asks for our whole heart. As St. Gregory the Great observed, Peter and Andrew left behind their boat and their nets; the widow gave her last two coins. Their offerings were different, but each surrendered everything that belonged to him or her.
The same invitation is addressed to us. God does not ask everyone to leave the same things behind, but He asks each of us to surrender whatever prevents us from belonging completely to Him. St. Josemaría compares our lives to a boat. Our talents, achievements, hopes, and ambitions are all good in themselves, but they become dangerous if we make them ends in themselves. A boat is useful only when Christ is welcomed aboard as its captain. If we insist on steering entirely by ourselves, we eventually drift towards spiritual shipwreck. When we entrust everything to Him, however, even our natural gifts are purified and become instruments of His grace.
The woman of Bethany provides another beautiful example of generous love. She broke open an alabaster jar of costly perfume and poured it over the Lord without calculating the expense. Others considered the gesture excessive, but Jesus saw in it the language of love. She withheld nothing for herself because she understood that love delights in giving. Her act filled the house with fragrance, and the memory of her generosity has endured throughout the centuries. Our own acts of self-giving may pass unnoticed by the world, but before God none of them is ever forgotten. Whatever is done out of love for Christ leaves a fragrance that does not fade.
Love for Christ cannot remain hidden within our hearts. If it is genuine, it will inevitably express itself in generous love for those around us. Jesus Himself identifies so closely with every human person that He can say, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Every act of kindness offered to another is therefore offered to Christ Himself. We do not have to travel far in search of opportunities to be generous. They surround us each day in the ordinary circumstances of family life, work, friendship, and community.
One of the clearest signs of generosity is the willingness to overlook the small irritations that arise in daily living. A generous heart does not cling to minor grievances or allow resentment to take root. It tries to understand rather than to judge, gives others the benefit of the doubt, and readily forgives offences that are often little more than misunderstandings. It willingly undertakes the less pleasant tasks, not because they are enjoyable but because someone has to do them. It is quick to encourage, sincere in its praise, and careful not to wound through unnecessary criticism or careless words. Even when correction is needed, generosity seeks the good of the other person rather than the satisfaction of winning an argument or proving oneself right.
This spirit also leads us to become apostles. The greatest gift we can offer anyone is not merely our time or our material assistance, valuable though these are, but our desire to help others draw closer to Christ. Genuine charity always seeks the highest good of the person we love. Sometimes this will involve a word of encouragement, an invitation to prayer, a patient explanation of the faith, or simply the witness of a life lived with consistency and joy. When our friendship helps another person to know Christ more deeply, our generosity bears fruit that will last for eternity.
Each day presents us with countless opportunities to give ourselves, and these opportunities are easily overlooked if we are preoccupied with ourselves. Jesus showed us the way when He knelt before His disciples and washed their feet. No task was beneath Him because His love was greater than His concern for appearances. We too should never think that any act of service is too small or too hidden to matter. In fact, the humblest tasks are often the ones that require the greatest love, precisely because they attract no recognition. They teach us to serve for God’s sake alone.
To live this way requires more than good intentions. We must learn to notice what others need rather than waiting until they ask. Every person has different burdens, different hopes, and different struggles. The more attentively we listen and observe, the more opportunities we discover to make another person’s life easier. A thoughtful word, an offer of help, a patient hearing, or a hidden sacrifice may seem insignificant, yet such acts often leave a lasting impression because they communicate genuine love. The selfish person sees primarily his own inconveniences and desires; the generous person gradually learns to see the world through the eyes of Christ.
Our Lady remained faithful to this spirit throughout her entire life. It could truly be said of her that she “went about doing good.” Her generosity was not limited to extraordinary moments but permeated everything she did. The same should become true of us. People ought to experience our presence as a source of encouragement, kindness, and peace. We should leave behind us not the memory of someone who demanded attention, but of someone who made life better for others simply by being there.
God never allows generosity to go unrewarded. Again and again Sacred Scripture shows that He cannot be outdone in generosity. The widow of Zarephath shared her last handful of flour and little jar of oil with the prophet Elijah, and God kept her household supplied throughout the famine. The poor widow in the Temple placed her two small coins into the treasury, and Christ declared that she had given more than all the rich because she had offered everything she possessed. The servants who faithfully used the talents entrusted to them received responsibilities far beyond anything they had expected. In every case, God responded to generous hearts with an even greater generosity of His own.
The same promise is repeated in the Gospel when Peter reminds the Lord that the disciples have left everything to follow Him. Jesus assures them that no one who has sacrificed home, family, possessions, or earthly security for the sake of the Kingdom will fail to receive far more in this life and, above all, eternal life in the world to come. God never forgets the smallest act performed out of love. If He multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed those who followed Him for only a few days, how much more will He care for those who strive to follow Him throughout their lives? We can entrust ourselves to Him with complete confidence, knowing that His generosity infinitely surpasses our own.
The hundredfold that Christ promises begins even now. Those who give themselves generously discover a joy that cannot be purchased or manufactured. Their hearts become freer, their friendships deeper, and their faith more alive because they are learning to love as Christ loves. Yet even this is only a foretaste of what awaits them. The greatest reward is not simply the blessings God gives but God Himself. At the end of our earthly pilgrimage, those who have sought to serve Him in others will hear the words every Christian longs to hear: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
On that day every hidden sacrifice, every unnoticed act of kindness, and every generous response to God’s grace will be seen in its true light. We shall understand that nothing offered out of love was ever lost. Hand in hand with Jesus and Mary, we shall discover that generosity was never a burden but one of the surest paths to holiness, to lasting happiness, and finally to eternal life.
