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December 18, 2023Only seven more shopping days until Christmas! I am not sure if this is good or bad news. Perhaps good for some and not so good for others. But it does remind us that it is getting late if one is still looking for that “just right” gift for a loved one. Some may be getting a bit anxious and even panicky about how little time there is left to find the perfect present. Others are probably gloating about how they have had their shopping done for months.
Just as a reminder, we will be celebrating the moment in time when God, in a life changing act of love, left the perfection of paradise to become like us in all things but sin. It is the moment in time when love became a person and set out on a course to save the children of God from sin and death. Despite attempts to make Christmas a secular holiday, we followers of Jesus are well aware of the gift we received on that first Christmas. So, the gifts we give to one another should reflect the awesomeness of what we are celebrating.
A good gift to give a loved one is time. Time to pray together. Time to laugh and cry together. Time to talk and time to listen. In a world that is in the midst of a loneliness pandemic, one of the most precious gifts we can give to one another is actual facetime. This will require us to turn off and put down our phones. It will require us to clear our schedules and intentionally prioritize spending time with those we love. When we give time as a gift to others, we live the gospel invitation to love as Jesus loves.
Another precious gift we can give to others is mercy. This gift involves forgiveness and humility. When we give the gift of mercy, we offer forgiveness to those who have harmed or hurt us. This gift sets both the giver and receiver free from the burden of estrangement and conflict. The gift of mercy is a healing gift that restores peace and rebuilds families and communities. When we give this gift, we may be seeking forgiveness, and this is where the humility comes in. We may have to admit that we were wrong, that we said or did something hurtful, that we are sorry for what we have done. When we give mercy as a gift to others, we live the gospel invitation to love as Jesus loves.
How about giving faith as a gift this season? It is almost a Catholic tradition to see faith as a personal thing. It is between God and me, it is something I do in church, or in the privacy of my home. What a difference we could make in the life of others if we shared our faith with them. Imagine the good that could be accomplished by simply being unafraid to give thanks for a meal even when in a crowded restaurant. Think of how things might be different if we generously and intentionally shared the story of our relationship with Jesus with someone. Perhaps we can give the gift of faith by, when asked for prayers from someone, we stop what we are doing and pray with them right then and there. Sharing the joy that comes from knowing we are beloved children of God, that Jesus has come to save us, that we are made to be extraordinary can make all the difference to the one we give this gift. When we share our faith with others, when we give the gift of faith to others, we live the gospel invitation to love as Jesus loves.
These are but a few ideas of nontraditional but valuable gifts that we can give to one another this Christmas. When it comes right down to it, however, perhaps the most precious gift that we can give to our loved ones, to our neighbor, to our enemies, to any and everyone is the very gift that we all received on that first Christmas…to love as Jesus loves.
