Reality, woven from painful events, and human creativity striving to fulfill our desires have inspired me to discover new reflections on the word generosity during this season of Lent.
On January 18, in Adamuz, Córdoba (a province in southern Spain), a railway accident took place in which 46 people lost their lives. We witnessed scenes of sorrow, helplessness, and unanswered questions. We felt comforted by the faith of many families who, amid their grief, felt accompanied by the consolation of neighbors with the faces of Good Samaritans. They found comfort because they know that the death of their loved ones is not the end. One son who had lost his mother shared this testimony: “Prayer does not remove the cross, but it gives us the strength to carry it.”
Julio is a 16-year-old young man who was among the first villagers to arrive and help the injured. Hearing his words — “I only felt the need to help, to assist” — reveals the greatness of his gesture. This painful event, marked by death and the hope of the Resurrection, has been a deeply moving reality.
Advertising seeks to captivate our senses, yet some advertisements are true artistic creations. They rely on storytelling, on a narrative we can observe and contemplate as spectators but that does not leave us indifferent. They move us inwardly. An insurance company, under the title A Life With You, released a spot telling a story of friendship and reminding us of a powerful truth: nothing is more human than helping and being helped.
Adamuz, Julio, and the message that nothing is more human than helping and being helped have helped me remember, in the presence of God, that the Son of God is going up to Jerusalem to give His life for each one of us. Beside me, I contemplate and experience stories of helping and being helped, of empathy and faith, which renew within me the word generosity during this season of Lent. We remember only what we give and what we receive.
Generosity during Lent can take concrete form through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, since a simple yet powerful definition of this virtue is “to go beyond oneself.” Ultimately, it means leaving self-absorption behind and becoming outward-focused, turned toward others while carrying God within. Are your fasting, prayer, and almsgiving generous? Generosity is the virtue that, when taken to its highest level, leads to self-offering. These 40 days allow me to contemplate Love to the fullest, giving His life so that we may have life. The life of Jesus of Nazareth shows us that charity and generosity are inseparable. For us, these two virtues are the bond that identifies us with Christ.
The Psalms! Once again, along the Lenten journey, these poems turned into prayer and woven into daily life accompany us. In Christian tradition, there are the seven penitential psalms, a special collection expressing deep repentance and supplication before God: Psalms 6, 32 (31), 38 (37), 51 (50), 102 (101), 130 (129), and 143 (142). In each one, the psalmist confesses his fault before the Lord and acknowledges his need for God’s forgiveness. God not only gives us what we need — forgiveness and mercy — but gives Himself to us as the supreme act of love.
In the school corridors, in the playground, and in classrooms, I sometimes hear: “I’m in my prime.” This expression has gone viral on social media (especially TikTok) and is used by young people to indicate they are at their best moment.
If we live these 40 days with generosity, going beyond ourselves, perhaps day by day we will be able to live the finest moment in the life of any Christian: knowing ourselves redeemed, saved, and loved by the Son of God, who died and rose again for you and for me. Lent prepares us for our “prime”!
Ana Alonso,ra
Ponferrada Community