Catholic Singles

CHRISTMAS GIFT TO GOD
BY: MARK ANTHONY ROSOLOWSKI, PGK

Christmas is the time of year when our minds are racing. We are remembering that Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We are thinking of what gifts to give to our family and friends. We are thinking about our Christmas card list, who will we send a card to, who we won't, who sent us a card last year and we cross off the names on our list of those who did not. We have to decorate, put up the tree, hang lights on the house, put up the wreaths. We run to the cemetery to put on wreaths and flowers to remember those who have passed away. The one that we forget to give a gift to though, is Jesus, it is His birthday and yet how many of us give Him a gift.

We think back to the three magi and the wonderful gifts they gave to Jesus. They gave gold, frankincense and myrrh. We think we have to match those gifts, but how do we do it. What can we give that will match those gifts given so long ago.

Frankincense is taken from the Boswellia family of trees, they were found in what we now refer to as Saudi Arabia and Somalia. The younger the Boswellia tree the more valuable the sap. The sap is gathered from May till September. The sap that is collected is allowed to harden and as it hardens it forms yellowish balls that are removed, and then mixed with spices, seeds and roots to create pleasant aromas. Normally it is burnt on charcoal in a small stand. Well, today we think there is nothing great about incense, so we scratch that item off our list.

Myrrh, that sounds like a great gift. Myrrh which means bitter in Arabic is collected from the Commiphora shrub and is found in what is now known as Somalia and Saudi Arabia. The sap a pale yellow is collected from the trees and allowed to harden. As it harden it turns a reddish brown. Myrrh was used as an ingredient in frankincense, beauty oils, and perfumes and was used for embalming. We think again, does not mean much today and that item is thrown off our list. We forget that at the time of the birth of Jesus, demand for myrrh was high and supply was low it was as valuable as gold.

We come to gold, money, so we go to the church and we give our riches and our money to God. We get a plaque with our name on it; we publish our names in the paper so all can see what we gave as a gift and how much we love God. We gave the greatest gift to Jesus on His birthday.

Now, I told that so I could tell my real story, a few days before Christmas, a priest saw a small boy in dirty clothing standing outside the church looking at the Nativity scene. The little boy asked the priest what it stood for and what was the meaning behind it. The priest told the wonderful story of the birth of our Savior to the little boy. The boy looked in wonder as he was told the story. The priest then told the boy that he could come to the church on Christmas to share in the joy of the birth of Jesus. The boy said he would be there and then ran off to home.

On Christmas morning the boy arrived at church, he was scrubbed and in his torn clothing, but it was clean. The small boy stood in the back of the church as he saw everyone dressed in their finest come into the church to praise this baby. At one point in the mass he saw men passing around gold plates and everyone was putting money and envelopes onto this plate. The men emptied the plates and the boy asked one of the men, what were the plates for. The man smiled and said that everyone was giving money as their gift to the church and to God. The small boy checked his pockets but they were empty, then he smiled and asked to see the plate again.

The boy looked at the plate and placed it on the floor, he then stood on the plate and looked at everyone as they stared at him and he said, “God, as my present to you, I give you the only thing I have, I give myself to you.”

In these hurried times, do not forget the gifts God has given you. Do not forget the love He has given you. Remember all you have to do to please God is to use the gifts He has bestowed upon you to His greater glory. If you can sing, sing for God, if you are an artist, draw for God, if you can write, write the glory of God. Take the talents He has given you and give them back, for there is no greater gift we can give to God then ourselves.