JOURNEY THROUGH ADVENT (3)

JOURNEY THROUGH ADVENT (3)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……You are breathing in the breath of life, the gift of God….breathe in all that is of God and from God and breathe out all that is not of God and from God……

Now I invite you to consecrate this day and all that come with this day….in your own way, in humble, simple, may be even inadequate words………..

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……….

Gently, prayerfully reflect on the following thoughts:

For some people the season of advent the “holiday season”, for others it is Christmas season and for still others it is just the winter season…

Whatever one may call it, it sure is the season of “gift-giving” and “gift-receiving”. The season brings with it signs of joy – colorful decorations and lights, smell of pastries, music in the air, people busying themselves searching for gifts – lots of signs of joy all around. “Gift-giving” moves to center stage.

Many have become cynical about all the glitter and the glamour and the gift-giving and all other excitement because of what is considered “over-commercialization” of Christmas. There is a lot of truth to it. Sears and J.C. Penneys and Kohls and Macys and Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart and all other Marts make some money. Why not? They exist to make money while providing wonderful service to all of us. They provide us “stuff” that we use to show our love for one another because of the joy we share in the birth of Jesus. It is up to us to make choices that reflect our love for Jesus and for one another while others may find it an opportune time to make a living.

We also know that all the excitement brings tensions, anxieties, jealousies, resentments and other such slings and arrows. But, as in many situations, there is truth and goodness and love behind the bright lights, the colorful boxes, and the rush of shoppers bringing home their treasures, something precious that holds all the excitements together.

The gift of God in this season is His son Jesus, who came bringing the light of the world, forgiveness of sins, healing of brokenness and conversion of life through his death and resurrection. This gift is an enduring, everlasting and ever present gift.

The gifts that we give one another wear out. Remember the number of gifts that you received last year or any other year. Remember opening those gifts and the joy that came because someone loved and cared to show their love. You kept opening those gifts. There was always the last gift and no more to open. The gifts stopped with what you could play with, or wear, or eat or hang on the wall or whatever……the real gift that you could hang on to was the joy of knowing that someone loved and cared to show that love.

The gifts that came beautifully wrapped may or may not be there anymore…..but the love shared lingers. It is up to you now to let this lingering love grow and become more personal and intense. May all the gifts you give and receive during this season become powerful signs of your love for God and one another.

Many say: “I spent too much on gifts at Christmas that nobody really needs”; “I dread this time of the year because I am forced to spend time and money for people that I really don’t enjoy being with”; “I feel so bad that I can’t give to my children as much as others give” and so on…… You may add your own or other statements that you may have heard…..

May be, it is time, to BE A GIFT.

I have heard the story of a missionary, in a small village in Africa, who explained to the young students how Christians give one another gifts at Christmas as an expression of their love. One Christmas morning, one of the students brought the missionary a beautiful and unusual seashell. The missionary asked the student where she got this unusual and extraordinary shell. The student explained that she had walked many, many miles to a certain hidden inlet since it was the only place where such a shell could be found.

Touched by her thoughtfulness, the missionary said, “I don’t know how to thank you. It was just so wonderful of you to go so far to get this lovely gift for me”. The student simply replied, “Long walk, part of gift”.

Take a moment……dwell on this thought: “Long walk, part of gift”.

The gift the girl actually gave was something of herself, her “thoughtfulness”, the “long walk”, not the “shell”. However, the real gift, the “lasting”, the “enduring”, the “eternal”, the “profound”….. “The Gift” was “herself”.

Real “gift-giving” is giving of ourselves – not the things we possess, not the talents we have, not our knowledge and experience, not things tangible – but those intangible, enduring, invisible, immeasurable and eternal aspects of who we are in all the richest, the most profound and the deepest part of our life.

Our main focus today is that of the gift – gifts given and gifts received. Christians of many different cultures exchange gifts on Christmas Eve or on Christmas day or on Boxing Day or at Epiphany. We must take this opportunity to consider the many collective and individual gifts with which each of us has been blessed as well as the challenge of gift-giving prompted by that privilege.

The fact that you are now reflecting on Advent bears witness to the gifts of faith that you are nurturing well. You have been blessed with the gift of family, parents, children, brothers or sisters, wives or husbands, with the family of the faithful, whose shared prayers, mutual support and service are, in themselves, priceless gifts.

Most of us are properly clothed, have enough to eat, have a place to live and have the means of livelihood. All these are gifts that, unfortunately, many in this world do not enjoy, while others take them for granted. Even those circumstances in our lives that bring us pain and sorrow can be accepted as gifts because these unavoidable and inevitable sufferings can become opportunities for growing kinder, humbler, truer, as well as more understanding and compassionate toward others.

The giftedness that each of us is privileged to enjoy must generate a sense of gratitude in our hearts. This gratitude must necessarily be translated into generous gift-giving – not that we could ever adequately reciprocate for all we have been given – nor does God demand or expect absolute reciprocity. Rather, gifts-received are to be gifts-given and gifts-shared with others.

Take a moment…Reflect on possibilities of gift-giving:

The gift of good advice; the gift of being optimistic; the gift of being patient with the problems of life; the gift of hanging in there and holding on; the gift of spreading smiles around; the gift of knowing what’s wrong and doing what’s right; the gift of believing in your abilities; the gift of picking up the pieces and so on….

OR other gifts such as a kind word; a helping hand; the assurance of our prayers; the constancy of our companionship; the gift of our time; the gift of listening with undivided attention to another person’s conversation; the gift of our silence or support when gossip flies; the gift of forgiveness, freely given; the gift of forgetfulness of others’ past faults; the gift of not allowing the words, “I told you so” or “Will you ever learn?” or any other sarcastic, contentious or self-serving remark to cross our lips…..

These gifts, along with the gifts of our shared faith, hope, love and mutual support and service become practical and attainable possibilities in our lives because each is founded in and flows from the ultimate gift of God’s saving grace.

Today, we celebrate the gift and the grace present among us and within us in Jesus. Gifts received; gifts given!

Abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives.

When we choose not to focus on what is missing,

but on the abundance that is present – love, health, family, friends, work,

the wasteland of misery falls away and we experience daily joy.

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs