From The Bishop

from RISEN Magazine's Winter 2012 issue

The Generosity of Mary

Generosity is often defined as the giving of gifts without any assurance of return. Mary’s response was a total and complete gift of availability as she offered herself to God, with utter completeness. She could not measure the cost, nor understand where her faithfulness would lead. When Mary said "yes" to Gabriel, she was offering herself freely and generously, in spite of being well aware of the religious and cultural judgment placed upon women who were pregnant outside of marriage. Far from receiving a "return" for her generosity, she risked being ostracized and "put away quietly."

Jesus’ words to us are filled with the invitation to give ourselves away. Sacrifice, obedience, discipleship, proclamation, announcing the kingdom; all require a turning from self to the ways and directions of God. No accolades are promised, and the path is never smooth."Give," says Jesus, "and gifts will be given you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured out into your lap; for whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt out to you in return." (Luke 6:38ff)

The fruits of generosity are not found on plaques outside hospital rooms, or on Church buildings and classrooms; the fruits of generosity are found in our relationships with God and our neighbor. We reap what we have sown.

When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, she was brimming over with joy, a gift flowing beyond all boundaries. And so was Elizabeth, who cried, "Behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy." Joy is contagious; a fruit of generosity, uniting giver and recipient so as not to distinguish between them. In meeting Elizabeth, Mary raised her voice in a song that has reverberated throughout the centuries, bringing joy and hope to all who have heard its words:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior." (Luke 1:46ff)

The generosity of Mary, a lowly handmaiden, reveals the will of God to exalt all who are lowly and hungry. Quite simply, giving transforms the world. Wendy Lustbader, in her book, Counting on Kindness, reminds us that, "Largess literally enlarges our lives." Generosity springs from an inner feeling of abundance. It wells up when we set our selves free from an imprisoning materialism. When our possessions possess us, it is the unleashing of our inner abundance that sets us free. In fact, generosity loosens our burdensome attachments, and connects us to our highest ideals. The cultivation of generosity is a strong antidote to the deceitful wants and needs widespread in our culture.

Mary, the ever blessed virgin, who met God and discerned her life’s vocation, is a model for us today. In emptying herself before the angel, an act of extreme generosity, she was filled with a joy and wonder that was never to be taken away, even in the midst of heartache. It is not what we possess, but who possesses us. When we allow our hearts to be the manger in which Jesus is born, the Spirit overtakes us, our lives spread out with joy, and this joy changes everything.