Living Generously and Magnanimously in Christ

Living Generously and Magnanimously in Christ

When we live in Christ, we do not live for ourselves. This is being “selfish.” Selfishness entails doing solely for ourselves, regardless of others' needs or wants. In today's culture, this self-centered approach is often rationalized as “self-care” or “self-realization.”

However, if we truly live in Christ, we emulate His generous and magnanimous nature. He serves as our model: "I have given you a model, that what I have done you should also do.”

We know His example well. Generous to the core, He never uttered the word “No.” Magnanimous in His actions, He aided whoever sought His help. And we know how His earthly journey concluded. He offered Himself for our sins, enduring rejection, crucifixion, and burial. Sensibility might have dictated a swift return to His Father after death, yet Jesus defied convention.

Instead of pursuing what was sensible, Jesus stayed to fulfill His Father's will: to become the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. His resurrection was not for Himself but for us.

In today's tumultuous times marked by the coronavirus pandemic and cultural conflicts, concepts like “self-care” and “self-realization” dominate discourse, portraying themselves as sensible. Yet, if we choose to live as He lived, we will saturate this earth with acts of generosity and illuminate its darkness with magnanimous spirits.

As exemplified by Christ's life, this matters immensely.

Fr. Joe Tetlow, S.J.