Loftiness and Greatness of Spirit

December 2, 2025

Hello!  How is each and every one? Twenty three days to go before the birth of the Child Jesus.  How are you preparing for His birth?  I think this superhabit is telling us what you and I have to do for the coming birth of the Child Jesus.  If you and I want to be great, you and I need to be preparing eagerly for His coming.  Let us hope in our Lord’s coming and prepare to receive the greatest proof of God’s infinite love. As we prepare physically, mentally and materially, let us lift up our spirits and make the Child Jesus, His mother, St. Joseph and The Blessed Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, present throughout these days.  Let us prepare our hearts and souls for His coming through the reception of the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist.

Come, Lord, and make no delay.  As we pray, we are filled with eagerness for the coming of Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, our Redeemer.  The Lord is coming to save his people; happy are those prepared to meet him.

For many centuries the people's hopes were fixed on the coming of the Redeemer. We share in that same longing now. Seeing the mystery of his Birth so near, we want to be set ablaze with the same desires for redemption.

Through the Incarnation of his only-begotten Son, God has shown us his unbounded love. St Augustine asks: Why did the Lord come, if not to show his love for us? His is a Father's love, for God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law ...so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Jesus comes to this earth to fill us with graces. St John Chrysostom portrays him as saying to us: I ask no payment at all for what I am giving you. I would rather be in debt to you, because you will put me in your debt by taking everything I have to offer. To what can this honour be compared? I am your father, brother, spouse, home, food, clothing; I am your root and foundation. I am everything your heart desires. Do not think you lack anything. I will even be your servant: "I have come to serve and not to be served." I am your friend, your member and head, your brother, sister and mother. I am all things; all I desire is the intimacy of your love.

Look at me, impoverished for you, a beggar for you, crucified for you, buried for you. In heaven I stand in God's presence on your behalf. On earth I am his envoy to you. And you are everything to me: my brother and co-heir, my friend and member. What more could you want?

This outpouring of God's goodness should make us grateful and eager to respond.

Saint Josemaria tells us: In considering the circumstances surrounding your decision to make every effort to live your faith, I imagine that you, like me, will thank our Lord. I know too that, without falling into false humility, this thankfulness will leave you even more convinced that you have merited nothing of this on your own...(Meditations 1.4 Advent)

Let us also keep each other in mind and prayer as we go through these of preparation for and anticipation of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. At the same time let us keep our global family in mind, heart and prayers too.

Following now is the superhabit of magnanimity, bigness of soul (From  SUPERHABITS, The Universal System for a Successful Life by Andrew V. Abela, PH.D., Dean, Busch School of Business, The Catholic University of America, 2024) 

What if you’re not wealthy, or if the challenge you’d like to address cannot be solved just by spending money? Magnanimity is the superhabit for dealing with large challenges without spending lots of money.  The word comes from the Latin phrase magna anima which means “big soul.” It’s the habit of “big-souledness,” the spirit of diving in and energetically taking on a big challenge.

Research on cancer patients suggests that increases in Magnanimity can reduce levels of psychological distress, including reduced depression and anxiety, and that Magnanimity can be increased by exposing oneself to inspiring case examples and stories.

Alexandre Harvard’s excellent book Created for Greatness: The Power of Magnanimity provides a helpful book length treatment of this superhabit.  He explains how Magnanimity is the leadership superhabit par excellence, because it allows us to take on great challenges.

The remaining two superhabits of Courage are for dealing with challenges that cannot be overcome, and simply have to be endured.  They are for handling physical and mental challenges, respectively.

 What else to know about this superhabit of Magnanimity?

From St. Josemaria in Friends of God, 80: I have been briefly reviewing some of the human virtues. I have no doubt that, as you pray to Our Lord, many others will spring to mind. I would like to pause now for a few moments to consider that wonderful quality which is magnanimity.

Magnanimity means greatness of spirit, a largeness of heart wherein many can find refuge. Magnanimity gives us the energy to break out of ourselves and be prepared to undertake generous tasks which will be of benefit to all. Small-mindedness has no home in the magnanimous heart, nor has meanness, nor egoistic calculation, nor self-interested trickery. The magnanimous person devotes all his strength, unstintingly, to what is worthwhile. As a result he is capable of giving himself. He is not content with merely giving. He gives his very self. He thus comes to understand that the greatest expression of magnanimity consists in giving oneself to God.

Commentary

 

The “treasury” at the entrance to the Temple of Jerusalem was a receptacle to receive the alms of the wealthy and those of humble means, to help support the expenses of worship. Intermingled that day with those depositing large sums was a poor woman who the all-seeing and loving eyes of our Lord did not fail to notice.

The situation of widows in ancient times could reach dramatic levels, above all if the dead husband had not left any money or possessions. Women depended upon the work of men in large measure for their own support. So losing the head of the family left many of them in extreme poverty. And thus Scripture often exhorts the people to look after and provide for them.

Jesus, who “knew what was in man” (Jn 2:25), experienced a special joy when he saw how that poor widow offered all she had to live on for the Temple expenses. For she viewed the worship offered to God as more important than her own security and support.

 

Together with prayer and fasting, almsgiving is one of the most pleasing actions in God’s eyes, when it is done with a right intention and a generous and detached spirit, when it really costs us and we give without seeking any personal advantage. “Didn’t you see the light in Jesus’ eyes as the poor widow left her little alms in the temple? Give him what you can: the merit is not in whether it is big or small, but in the intention with which you give it” (Saint Josemaria, The Way, no. 829).

 

Jesus points to the example of the poor widow to encourage us to be magnanimous with God and those around us. As Saint Josemaria said, “magnanimity means greatness of spirit, a largeness of heart wherein many can find refuge. Magnanimity gives us the energy to break out of ourselves and be prepared to undertake generous tasks which will be of benefit to all. Small-mindedness has no home in the magnanimous heart, nor has meanness, nor egoistic calculation, nor self-interested trickery. The magnanimous person devotes all his strength, unstintingly, to what is worthwhile. As a result he is capable of giving himself. He is not content with merely giving. He gives his very self. He thus comes to understand that the greatest expression of magnanimity  consists in giving oneself to God” (Friends of God, no. 80).

God always deserves the best of our love and affection, of our time and dedication. When a person or a family give what they can to God with generosity and joy, as the just man Abel did, they receive from the Lord a hundredfold and many blessings.

“Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury” (v. 43). The conviction that our Lord sees and appreciates every small act of affection and self-giving, even though quite small and hidden, will spur us to be more generous with him and those around us.

Rev. Msgr. Frederick Dolan said:  Ninety years ago, on October 2nd, God showed Opus Dei to the young St. Josemaria Escriva. It happened in an instant, he fell to his knees dazzled by all that God had just showed him. On this anniversary, our desire is not simply to celebrate this milestone in the history of Opus Dei but also to learn from the operating system of this faithful instrument of God’s providence. To relive the path taken by St. Josemaria will help us to desire the virtue of magnanimity—greatness of spirit and largeness of heart—a genuine craving for great and noble ambitions and adventures:

·         St. Josemaria Escriva realized early on that God had a plan for him, that He wanted something from him. How could he find the answer? Where should he seek it? He set out to search above all by listening to the Word of God.

·         Sacred Scripture, the Word of God, speaks to us today and we need to seek out our place in it to find our path.

·         Tell Our Lord: “I really have no idea of the undiscovered qualities that I have—maybe this is my chance to discover the hidden greatness in me. This is a chance for me to be ready for great undertakings and to pass on to young people a great openness and eagerness for great ideas.”

·         A resolution from this reflection: “To protect our times of prayer ferociously.”

For more on this superhabit let us together in the quiet moments of our conversation with God discover more the treasures He has given you and me and ask Him to lead us to the way of carrying out whatever He wills.

See you in the next post, “May tomorrow be a perfect day; may you find love and laughter along the way; may God keep you in his tender care; ‘til He brings us together again.”

Affectionately,                                    

Guadalupinky