Spontaneous generosity

Fr. Manny Flores, SJ, in one of his homilies had talked about King David’s humility, gratefulness, and friendship with God.

“As David gave praise to the Lord, he realized how selfish and ungrateful he was; he lived in a great palace while the Ark of the Covenant had no place to stay during that time. Soon, he built God a beautiful temple!”

“David’s heart was made after God’s heart, a generous heart acting spontaneously for one’s sake,” Father Manny continued. “He was compassionate to King Saul, considerate to Shimei, who cursed and threw stones at him and took pity on his son Absalom after his death. His kindness flowed swiftly from his heart.”

Our hearts are innately generous also like the heart of our father David. We feel the pain of those who suffer, and give what we have to those who are poor and need our attention. Oftentimes, we share our life with others, putting aside our own interest.

Our genuine love for the marginalized is rooted in God’s unconditional love for His people. His curing of the sick, giving life to the dead, driving evil spirits and many others are but great examples we emulate from Him. His dying on the cross is the reason why our caring is spontaneous and automatic, coming out freely from our hearts like springs of water.

“Love is an action, not an emotion,” said Fr. Dave Concepcion, a parish priest. Ordering ourselves to do good for others is not only imitating the good works of Jesus but also making us better persons worthy of His kingdom. Being compassionate with more works, and less talks, becomes our daily mantra.

Recently, a relative needed blood when his hemoglobin count went down to only 43. What is normal is 130 to 170. He was in critical condition and needed blood transfusion immediately. Blood is scarce during pandemic, as group blood donation is almost prohibited. We found it hard getting such precious blood from hospitals, even from Red Cross. As we look around, we’re lucky to have a great number of friends and people willing to donate, their generosity came spontaneously. Type O+ blood was needed and people with types blood AB+, B+, B, and O volunteered. “Blood type swapping” was not the policy of hospitals and Red Cross that time. Thank God, we were still able to get the blood we needed from the many kind souls who saved my nephew’s life.

If we have empathy, we “cross over to the other side” and connect with those who live in want. By empathy, we extend our self and make the other person part of our own being. Empathy is “putting oneself in the shoes of others,” feeling their pains, hearing their cries, and agonizing with them. It’s forgetting who we are, what we are, and becoming the other person who needs help and caring.

They say the pandemic has brought out the best and worst in people. Sad to say, it’s true. Indifference and self-preservation are the evils of man that dominate the world today especially during time of crisis. Good versus evil, charity against apathy.

“The other name of God is love,” a famous saint once said. By following His command, righteousness will win against wrong doings. We pray that throughout our life, we live to love, stand up for others, and always look above.

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Mario D. Dalangin, 66, serves the church at Las Piñas and is an officer of Kapatirang Bihiya, a small NGO in Mabini, Batangas. He is also “Lolo” to Rifqi and Shereen Isabel.

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