Editorial > Editorial Archive

Buenos Aires, Sunday, March 7, 2004

Father Oscar Pezzarini

The Value of Generosity

Generosity is a Value which makes us think and act in favour of others, trying to contribute a benefit by means of our unselfish work, which makes us put other's well-being above our own interests. Our life is full of opportunities of doing good to others, and at each step we walk into people who can benefit from our intervention.

Generosity is a Value which makes us think and act in favour of others, trying to contribute a benefit by means of our unselfish work, which makes us put other's well-being above our own interests.

In order to say someone is generous this person must stand out due to his natural disposition to help others, whoeever it may be, without distinctions.

It's something that often requires a great, maybe an extraordinary effort, but it is also true that if we start noticing our life is full of opportunities of doing good to others, and at each step we walk into people who can benefit from our intervention; let's remind for instance the opportunity we have of making someone feel good just by smiling at him, or by paying real attention to whoever talks to us or asks a question, because if someone chooses us in order to do an enquiry, asks for our advice or wants to tell us something, he does so because he figures our intervention to be important and valuable; also by realizing that our capability put to the service of others is a way to benefit a person close to us; by being responsible and complying with what we did promise; by being able to apologize if doing something is out of our reach, etc., there actually are many chances of doing something unselfish for others and realizing how good it feels to develop the virtue of Generosity, doing so in a plain, simple way without getting noticed, without expecting congratulations or recognition.

We now are in the time of Lent, a time favorable to exercise all those virtues which not only benefit others by doing so, but also ourselves since at last we are just fully living our dignity as human beings since it is true that whenever we give it is much more we receive.

When we are generous we must not evaluate if the other person deserves it or not, if time is short, if it is necessary, if it is urgent or not, if someone else could do it, etc., what is important is that we don't let the chance walk by which in short is given to us by God so we can exercise a value which if we all tried to exercise it in our everyday life, I'm willing to say that many things would change in our lifes.

As I always say, the experience of these values is a Gift coming from God, and us such we must ask that we can exercise it and that it gives fruits in us for the service to others.

Father Oscar Pezzarini
General Commissioner of the Work of Don Orione in Argentina

Father Oscar Pezzarini makes us think with his reflections in "De Buena Fe" the radio program of the Felices los Niños Foundation on Radio Belgrano, AM 950 kHz, Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m..
Little Cottolengo Don Orione 0800-333-6746 in Argentina or +54 (11) 4268-7722 from abroad.

Return to Editorial Archive.