Reflection - The gift of generosity

Photo: canva.com/Julia Filirovska

“The significant point for Fr Tom was that this plain Filipino girl, who never struggled with the definition of love, exemplified it by giving him one of the few things she had in life.”

These words appeared in a newspaper column in the United States. The writer had been deeply moved by a story shared in a homily by Fr Tom Convery and she wanted her readers to experience the same insight.

The story itself was simple. Many years ago, in Masinloc, a small town in the Philippines, Fr Tom was hearing confessions. A young girl approached the confessional and gently parted the curtain. In her hand, she held a kaymito, a star apple. She asked him if he would like it.

“Yes,” he replied, “if you want to give it, I would enjoy it very much.” She placed the fruit in his hand, turned and quietly walked away.

No more was said.

That child has probably long forgotten the moment. Fr Tom continued his missionary work in many places. Yet, years later, he would reflect on that simple act as something extraordinary. The girl came from a place of real poverty. Her family had very little and there were few prospects for change. But that was not the point.

The point was that she understood love, not as something to be explained, but as something to be given. In that moment, she became a giver. Her gesture reminds me of another experience from my own time in mission.

On one occasion, two men walked in from a remote barrio to accompany me back to their village for their annual fiesta. One carried my suitcase, containing the chalice and vestments for Mass. The other carried a second bag. We walked for eight hours through rough terrain. By the time we arrived, the bags were heavy and we were exhausted.

When we finally opened the second bag, I discovered what they had carried all that way. Inside were a few cans of soft drink, a couple of bottles of beer, some sardines and a jar of marmalade. It was all for me.

One of those men had walked into town the day before, stayed overnight and then walked back again carrying those items, simply so that the priest might have what they thought he would enjoy. I doubt they have thought about it since. I have never forgotten it.

Anyone who has spent time among people who have little will recognise this pattern. They share what they have. Often, they give from what they need themselves. The challenge for the one receiving is not simply to accept the gift, but to receive it with humility and grace.

Yet a deeper question lingers. Can we respond with the same generosity?

Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he said that the Good News is preached to the poor. It is not only so that they may receive it, but so that, in their own way, they may preach it back to us. Their lives become a living Gospel, one that challenges our assumptions and stretches our capacity to give.

In moments like these, something of God becomes visible.

When generosity is shared, both the giver and the receiver are touched by grace. There is a quiet recognition that love is not measured by how much we have, but by how freely we give. It also helps us understand a familiar phrase often heard from those returning from mission: “I received far more than I ever gave.”

The Gospel has a way of turning things upside-down. In a world that often measures worth by possessions and success, the poor remind us of a different truth. They reveal that even the smallest gift, given with love, carries a richness beyond measure. And perhaps that is the lesson we are all invited to learn.

Columban Fr Brendan O’Sullivan lives and works in the United States.