Honoring the giver, accepting the gift

I have always been a little bit uncomfortable around Christmas. Who could say such a thing? Someone who feels uncomfortable when he is given gifts, that’s who. Don’t get me wrong, I like to receive gifts as much as the next person, but there’s always been some nagging piece of me that feels uncomfortable when someone does something nice for me because I worry that I have not done equal good for that person. I have accepted that this neuroses is a part of who I am, but that acceptance is not always enough to keep me from feeling this discomfort around Christmas time. So, until I get this figured out, I will continue to feel as if I am not worthy when someone does something nice for me, or gives me some gift.

The gift of the Junior Cross
Junior Cross Mass 2017

I have come to understand that the best gifts are sometimes those that we would not or could not procure for ourselves. The best gifts are sometimes the ones we receive and come to cherish because they fill a void we might not have even known that we had, or that we knew we had but were unable (or unwilling) to fill on our own. The best gifts are sometimes those that remind us of the giver, and they make us think fondly of that person whenever we use the gift. The best gifts are often surprises; but sometimes a gift can be or greater value to us if we know it is coming and we have to wait for its arrival (anyone who has ever anticipated or longed for the birth of a child knows this). And, to my occasional frustration, the best gifts are those that we simply cannot deserve, yet they are given to us anyway, because the giver loves us and wants to show that love in some tangible form.

Today’s reading from Titus reminds us that none of us deserve the gifts that we receive from God, but that He gives them to us anyway. He is the one who can look inside of our hearts and identify our most basic needs. We do not earn eternal salvation ‘because of any righteous deeds we have done”, yet it has been gifted to us ‘because of His mercy.’ And I think that this is the nature of something that truly is given as a gift. Balance is not expected; there is no ‘quid pro quo.’ Acceptance of the gift, some gratitude, and then good stewardship of the gift; those are the more appropriate responses, and sometimes we just have to accept that we are not worthy but we are recipients of love anyway.

Joseph and Mary’s responses to God’s gift of Christ remind us that our acceptance and good stewardship are the appropriate responses for accepting God’s gifts to us. Temper that acceptance and stewardship with faith, as Mary and Joseph did, and we have the perfect response to God’s love. That response then has the power to spread beyond us - just as Jesus quickly grew beyond his parent’s home and influence; the gift becomes multiplied. The Holy Family reminds all of us, whether we are parents or not, that we are all invited to care for those who come into our lives, and that care will then spread far beyond our own reach. 

Throughout Advent we have been waiting for the coming of Christ, and today we celebrate His arrival. “What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) Our appropriate response for the year ahead is to accept that light into our lives, be good stewards of that light, and have faith that it will remain with us throughout the year. Our acceptance of these facts will honor their giver, and insure that Christ’s love will extend through us, and then far beyond us.

Author: Tom Garrison, Principal