A HAPPY GIVER

HAPPy GIVER

 

“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19

 

Lighthearted and free. Even as I was laden with all sorts of packages that December morning, my heart felt like it could fly. I had just been to Divisoria to buy Christmas gifts that morning and, although I was a few pesos poorer, I felt that I had become richer beyond any measure.

You see, that Christmas of 2007, I had a bit of extra money. So I didn’t have to worry as much about my Christmas gift budget. I bought gifts for friends and loved ones without constantly worrying about the tag price, as I would have usually done. I felt so happy afterwards that it led me to think that that must be how God feels — He has so much and He happily gives everything away. No wonder they say “It is better to give than to receive.”

As we enter into the merry month of giving, let us follow the example of our Heavenly Father who gave us everything we need, even His only Son, and continues to give us everything else. Joy Sosoban

 

REFLECTION:

Have I looked at giving the way Scrooge did — unwillingly and unhappily?

 

Change my heart, O Lord. Make me a happy and generous giver — just like You.

 

 

the cAll tO fOllOW Jesus

 

Even though none of us may have received the sort of call to follow Jesus as the early apostles received, it is important that we reflect upon these calls. Why? Simply because in them, we discover the basic essence of our own call: to follow Jesus in the same way that all who have gone before us have done. Andrew and his brother Peter leave their livelihood as fishermen in order to follow Jesus and give their lives in the service of the Kingdom of God. Did they know what they were getting themselves into when they followed Jesus that day? I doubt it, but who can know what the consequences of a decision will be at the time when the decision is being made?

The critical thing is that they responded to a call! You might argue that you have never heard a call like that from God. I doubt all calls take the same form as the ones Peter and Andrew experienced. Another point to consider is how open we are to hearing such a call, and if we were to hear one, would we be willing to give up our own dreams in order to follow God’s will? Sometimes I think we do not hear a call from God precisely because we don’t want to listen as we will have a problem if He asks us to do something that is not part of our plans. The reasoning seems to be that if we remain ignorant of His call, we can always argue that we did not know that was what God wanted us to do! The simple response I have to such a position is to say, “Ignorance, especially deliberate ignorance, is not a valid excuse for anything.”

God has not stopped calling men to be priests; it is just that fewer are choosing to respond to such a call because it does not fit in with the secular, consumer-driven and materialistic dreams the world encourages us to have. There will be more priests when there are more families and Catholic schools who reflect more faithfully the true values of the Gospel over and against those of modern society. There is a clash of cultures here, and it is up to us to choose which we want. Do not forget, your choice is for eternity, not just a little while. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What are my dreams for my life? Are they driven by the values of the Gospel or those of the modern world? Am I willing to change my direction in life if necessary?

 

Holy Spirit, help me to build my life upon values that will last into eternity. The world may offer short term pleasure, but Gospel values will endure for eternity.

 

St. Andrew, Apostle, pray for us.