The Gifts Christ Desires to Give Us
The Lord Jesus wants to give us at least three presents
before Christmas even gets here. The thing is, we have to look for them in
hidden places. He does not hide them deliberately: rather, given our daily
routines, they may as well be hidden.
The first gift he wants to give is a memory to recall him.
The Church’s 2000 year experience instructs us that the best way to draw near to
Jesus is to practice the cultivation of a graceful memory. Some people are
blessed with a naturally good memory. Others, like myself, struggle every
morning to remember where we left the car keys the night before. But we can all
cultivate a holy memory. How much effort do we put into remembering what Jesus said
the last time we picked up the Scriptures and read a passage from the Gospel?
The more we try to remember, the more we will remember. This effort bears great
fruit. If we call him to mind, he thereby dwells in the mind. Jesus dwells in
us by means of his Word, just as the Holy Spirit dwells in us by virtue of
Charity.
We remember so many unimportant things, like past hurts and
what time our favorite televisions shows are on. The memory attains to its
noblest purpose, though, when through it we carry the thought of the Lord and
his Gospel. Suppose, for example, all you can remember from the Gospel you
heard at Mass a few weeks ago is the phrase: What you did not to for the least of mine, you did not do for me. That
is more than enough to supply for a week’s worth of fruitful conversation with
the Lord.
But for this to work, we have to be conscious about seeking
a quiet place, a string of moments where this Word can stir our thoughts and
considerations. Thus the second gift He wants to give us is Silence to dwell on
his word. If we want to find silence, the place to look is not so much a place as
it is a time. The early morning is best for many; an evening walk is good, too.
I recommend meditation before the Blessed Sacrament, but if we cannot make it
to Church to visit the Sacrament, the remembrance of his presence there can
bring us great peace.
The Word emerges from the silence. He speaks from there. And
so, for example, remembering the Gospel I mentioned, we can ask Him: Lord, do you want me to be more attentive to
your presence in the persons the world considers insignificant? At this
point he no doubt says yes. We respond:
But Lord, where can I find you in my
daily life? Be assured he will respond to you. You get the idea. The
conversation goes on from there.
Thus, the third gift the Lord wishes to give us during
Advent flows from the first two. He wants to give us a grace to recognize and
love him. This is the grace that takes what impressions he leaves with us
during our prayer and allows them to be enacted in the daily movements of our
lives, in the midst of our families, our work, school, recreation. By faith we
recognize the presence of Christ. By his word he points out his presence in our
midst. We ask for the grace not only to see him in our daily routine, but to
embrace and love him there. To recognize Christ in the world, and to love him
there, is not one activity among many in a Christian life, it is the only
activity of a Christian life. It is what Saint Paul in Galatians 5, 6 calls that faith that operates through love.
These three gifts, memory, silence and loving recognition,
prepare us to receive the great gift of Christ at Christmas. We want to be
ready for that gift, so that we can better embrace him in love, in the celebration
of the Nativity, in the persons with whom we share this life, and in the
sacraments through which he shares his life with us.
May God Bless you always.
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