Six Perfections: More on Generosity

I decided to review the Six Perfections, but this time with a Christian tilt. 

The first of the Six Perfections is Generosity.  Ignatius even wrote a prayer for Generosity. So far, it's the only prayer I have found regarding this subject. I'm sure there are more. If you know of one, I would love to read it.

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
    to give and not to count the cost,
    to fight and not to heed the wounds,
    to toil and not to seek for rest,
    to labor and not to ask for reward,
    save that of knowing that I do your will.

For most of us, we have some kind of motive when we give such as giving to charities to for a tax break. According to an article on inner frontier, "true generosity… involves giving to others beyond what is required of us, and that outstrips any self-centered motives we might harbor in the process."  I don't know about  you, but I find this difficult to do.  Here's where the list of the types of mind to be abandon come into play: wrong view, pride, dependence, discouragement, partiality, self-interest (a huge obsession for most of us), fear, and maliciousness. These are explained in a previous post.   

Generosity is not only the giving of things, but also our time, listening to someone who is in need of being heard, to helping at a soup kitchen, to volunteer at a hospital or hospice or many other such organizations. All this will be done with the fourth perfection: joyous effort.

How many of us can give something and not think about  how much it cost us?
How many of us can fight for something and not take inventory of our wounds?
How many of us can work with joyous effort without needing rest? Not me. If I'm tired, I want to rest.
How many of us can work, again with joyous effort, and not ask for something in return?

As Ignatius' prayer suggests, this is not easy without the help of a Higher Power and great faith.


You have to give it away in order to keep it.

Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out; if anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I don't want to do just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.