FR. MARTIN VU, PAROCHIAL administrator of St. Joseph’s in Placentia, delivered a Christmas homily a couple of years ago that touched on the familiar theme of celebration.
“And what are we celebrating?” Fr. Martin asked. “Or, as the famous phrase says, what is the ‘reason for the season?’
He continued: “Some people are celebrating that there is no school. Others are celebrating time at home with family members and friends. And still others are celebrating the wonderful deals on Amazon Prime.
“These are all great things. But today we are celebrating something even greater.”
OUR GIFT TO JESUS
Fr. Martin went on to describe how Christmas is the birthday of Jesus, and how usually when it’s a person’s birthday we give that person gifts. The gift Jesus wants from us, Fr. Martin said, is “your heart, your mind, your family. He wants you. That’s what He wants the most.”
As for giving gifts to family and friends – well, why give presents to one another on Christmas if it is supposed to celebrate the birth of Christ? That’s the question posed by Fr. Charles Grondin in a column he wrote for Catholic Answers, a media ministry that explains the Catholic faith. He wrote that exchanging gifts at Christmas (besides being a fun thing to do) reminds us of three important theological truths:
■ Our gifts remind us of the gifts the Magi brought to the infant Jesus, and they remind us that as we present gifts to each other our lives are to be our gift to Jesus.
■ Receiving gifts reminds us in some small way of the ultimate gift we receive in salvation through Jesus.
■ Exchanging gifts reminds us that each person in our life is a gift from God.
TRUE CHARITY
Dr. Therese Mueller, a mid-century author on Catholic culture in the home, had this to say about the giving of gifts:
“As far as Christmas gifts are concerned, let us emphasize their true meaning, now so generally forgotten: overpowered by God’s generosity in giving His only begotten Son as the Redeemer of mankind, Christians feel urged to imitate in a limited manner God’s great love and liberality by spreading happiness among relatives and friends through gifts.
“Only if our gifts — small though they be — are borne along on a wave of true charity will they be worthy to lie beside the crib, which represents the real Gift, the Gift of all gifts, without which we should still be sitting in darkness and in the slavery of Sin.”
GENEROSITY AND CAUTION
The article “A Catholic Approach to Gift Giving,” published by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, mentions the temptation of consumerism that plagues many Catholics during the holidays.
The author quotes St. Nicholas’ words about the source of our desire to be generous: “[Christ,] the giver of every good and perfect gift, has called upon us to mimic His giving, by grace, through faith and this is not of ourselves.”
The articles also note Pope Francis’ words of caution: “Since the market tends to promote extreme consumerism in an effort to sell its products, people can easily get caught up in a whirlwind of needless buying and spending.” (Laudato Si, §203)
“A Catholic Approach to Gift Giving” offers four suggestions when it comes to Christmas gift-giving.
First, how many gifts should you give? The article mentions giving three gifts like the magi gave Jesus; some families choose to do this by giving one large gift and two smaller gifts.
Second, what can we give other than more stuff?
Think of how you can help the recipient create fun memories with family and friends. Gifts like memberships to the zoo, aquarium or museum are fun for families, and adults might enjoy concert tickets or gift cards for a nice meal out.
Third, consider supplementing Christmas gifts with charitable giving.
And fourth, look for “fair trade” or “ethical trade” gifts. If you can buy Christmas gifts for loved ones, shouldn’t you do your best to be thoughtful and responsible about the gifts you give?
THE ‘GREATEST GIFT’
Fr. Christopher Smith, rector emeritus of Christ Cathedral, offered the following thoughts on gift-giving for Christmas:
“Jesus Christ is often referred to as the greatest gift given to us by God the Father,” he said. “In turn, Jesus gave us the gift of His life through His death on the cross. He then gave us the gift of eternal life through His resurrection from the dead.
“In celebration of these great gifts, Christmas has become a time for people to give gifts to each other. As Jesus gave us the gift of his life, Christmas gifts are given to bring life to the recipients as well to the givers.
“As Jesus’ life is a gift of love, our Christmas gift giving is an expression of our love and care for others.”