| The Greatest Gift |
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| We are God’s Children! |
By Paul J. Ashton, Psy.D., D.Min.
Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs
 And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
—Matthew 2:10-11
We end the Liturgical year celebrating Christ the King and we begin the new Liturgical year preparing for his birth as a helpless child, born in a lowly manger. When we ponder the life of Christ, we see such juxtaposition and some even see contradiction and irony. We see the mighty power of God made manifest in the miracles that Jesus performed while on earth, yet we suffer with him the shameful scandal when our Lord and Savior was crucified on a cross bearing the sign, “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.” This ultimate act of sacrifice opened for us the doors to eternal life. The power of God turned Jesus’ painful suffering and death on the cross to Joy for the whole world. (We worship you Lord, we venerate your cross, we praise your resurrection, through the cross you brought Joy to the world.—Good Friday Liturgy)
We look at the gifts brought to Jesus at the various parts of his life—the somewhat odd gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh at his birth in an manger. Of course, we see the importance of the symbolism and greatness in such gifts, but we see from the very beginning that these gifts of and for kings is not what our Lord and Savior is all about. We see the gifts of fellowship, hospitality, and shared time from his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. We see the gifts of his faithful followers, the Apostles, who tried their hardest to understand His message and follow it. We see the great gifts of Love and tenderness from his mother Mary and foster father Joseph, whose devotion knew no bounds. We see the great gift of Faith shared by all those who sought to be healed and comforted by Him.
As we ponder the great celebration of Christ’s birth, it is a good time to look at the gifts that we offer Him. Just as the Three Wise Men brought the very best of what they had, we strive each year to do the very same. The making of New Year’s resolutions, the promises made on Christmas eve as we kneel before the crib, the remembrances of memories recalled at Christmas parties, dinners, and celebration all speak to the fine Faith that we share in our Lord’s incarnation.
He humbled himself in a manger, surrounded by animals, yet adored and feared by Kings. What would we find appropriate to give Him? What might we offer as a sustaining gift that would speak so much of ourselves, yet fill the receiver with great gladness and joy?
A priest with whom I was speaking recently told me that he stopped touching children (albeit in an appropriate manner) as soon as the sex abuse scandal broke open in 2002. We spoke at length about his fears and concerns, and how this loss to his ministry has hurt him, but “kept him safe” he said. We discussed the many ways he could act appropriately in the presence of children protecting them and him, from any kind of false allegation, yet nothing seemed to soothe his fears. He spoke of the tears he shed when he was unpacking the nativity set for his parish, and when he held the statue of the infant Jesus, almost life like, he cried for the loss of his ministry to children that once seemed so small in comparison to all that he did, but now seemed like a monumental part of the call to ministerial priesthood.
We talked further about the gifts that Jesus brought to others by His own touch, and how a small pat on the shoulder, back, head or cheek of a newborn child brought the vivid presence of Jesus alive to the young members of the parish. We spoke of the hurtful words he had heard from parishioners about him not being alone with children, something that he tried his whole priesthood to avoid. He spoke of the looks he had received from parishioners and those on the street and subways that hurt him. He spoke of mothers pulling their children away from him when on line in a store. Lastly, he spoke of a young girl running up to him and hugging him, saying thank you, all because he had given her class a holy card and medal. He remembered how blessed he was by that momentary connection, and how the healing power of God was made manifest to him in that moment. We talked of who brought what gift to whom at that point, and whose gift was more powerful.
Let us all pause to remember how powerful God’s healing touch is in our own lives and how we can appropriately, safely, and with all good intentions reach out to others who may need it. This is a great gift.
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| Last Week's Poll
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Did your Christmas traditions remain generally unchanged this year?
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Yes
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82.81%
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No
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17.19%
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Total Votes: 1989
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