Generosity of Heart

March 1, 2025

The virtue of magnanimity opens our hearts to always respond with charity, humility and gratitude to God

By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly

March 1, 2025

Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly
(Photo by Michael Collopy)

Spend any time on social media or watching political debates and you can quickly conclude that certain virtues are missing from our public discourse. Among them is the virtue of magnanimity. Often defined as a largeness or generosity of heart — from the Latin words for “great soul” — magnanimity orients us toward using our gifts in service to others. It gives us the desire to aspire to great things with the time God has given us on earth.

Magnanimity is an essential virtue if we want to effectively lead our families and our brother Knights. Why? Because it gives us a clarity of mission and purpose. It keeps us focused on striving for the highest ideals and helps us avoid the traps and snares set for us by the evil one. Whereas pride and presumption lead to envy, jealousy, rivalries and a host of other small-minded maladies, magnanimity shows us the more excellent way. St. Paul tells us: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just … if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8).

The magnanimous man is characterized by his selfless generosity of spirit. He knows that he is loved by God and is aware of the gifts and talents that God has given to him. He knows that his gifts are not for his own use but are for serving and lifting up others. And because he is confident in and grateful for these gifts, he recognizes and even celebrates the gifts of others, especially those gifts that he himself may not possess.

In other words, magnanimity gives us the mindset to always see the best in others and interpret their actions and attitudes in the most favorable light possible. It gives us the strength to practice the spiritual works of mercy — bearing wrongs patiently and responding to difficult situations with forbearance and forgiveness rather than revenge. It can be hard to take the high road, especially when we’ve been hurt, but it’s always the better path.

The magnanimous man is characterized by his selfless generosity of spirit. ... He knows that his gifts are not for his own use but are for serving and lifting up others.

How do we instill magnanimity in our children? As fathers, we should keep in mind that “more is caught than taught” — that is, our children often learn more from observing us than from our instruction. When a magnanimous father demonstrates a generous spirit and speaks well of others, his children take notice. He encourages his children, praising them for their accomplishments and gently correcting them when they need it. He measures his words carefully, for a father’s words of sincere praise are far more fruitful than words of criticism (see Eph 6:4, Col 3:21).

The magnanimous father also sees the great potential in his children. He encourages them to go beyond their comfort zones and to achieve things they may not think possible. He builds their confidence by calling attention to the gifts they have been given. He prays aloud with them and gives them a sense that they, too, have been called by God to greatness — and that they are ultimately called to be saints.

Perhaps most importantly, a father passes on the virtue of magnanimity to his children by loving their mother in thought, word and deed each day. As husbands, we are called to go the extra mile in service to our wives. That can take many forms, but it includes being lavish in our praise, quick to forgive and first to apologize.

St. Teresa of Avila often prayed that God would enlarge her heart. As husbands and fathers, we can make this prayer our own — and we can be confident that God will answer us. Speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord proclaims, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you” (Ez 36:26).

Vivat Jesus!

Generosity of Heart

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