IT’S now becoming a standard practice
that during birthday
celebrations, the celebrants would profusely thank God for the “gift
of life.” This expression has become so common it is getting to be a
cliché or a meme, and can invariably be expected to be heard on such
occasions.
That, of course, should not come as a surprise. It is the
least thing one can say on such happy moments. It is really what is
proper. But what I would also like to hear is for the celebrants to
profusely offer themselves, by way of truly meaning their gratitude,
as a gift to God, and because of God, as a gift also to all the
others.
This is simply the language of love. That’s why a gift is
the other name of love. When one is in love, he gives a gift. And when
one receives a gift, a certain unspoken law would suggest that he
returns the favor. This is the sense of indebtedness that, thanks be
to God, is quite developed in our Filipino culture. We call it “utang
ng loob” in Tagalog, and “utang kabubut-on” in Bisaya.
Our culture tries to express in some way what truly is in
the hearts of people when they are in love or are given a favor or a
gift. We do this by giving or exchanging tokens, i.e., certain objects
that somehow express how we feel inside toward a person.
But what we should not forget is that what are given and
received are not just objects but our own selves. Christ said this
very clearly when asked about the greatest commandment which is
nothing but loving and giving oneself.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important
commandment,” Christ said. “The second is like it: Love your neighbor
as yourself.” (Mt 22,37-39)
From these words we should then understand that we are
meant to give ourselves as a gift to God and to the others. This
should be our most basic attitude on which all the other
considerations in our life have to be built. We are meant to be a gift
to God and to everyone else. Are we, at least, aware of this truth?
And once aware, are we doing something to live it to the full?
To start developing this basic attitude, we need to
consider what God has gifted us in the first place. He has given us
the ‘gift of life,’ and together with it, the gifts of faith, hope and
charity. He has given us the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit, and
many other, endless things.
All of these, because in the first place God has created
us in his very image and likeness. We have been made children of his,
which means that what God has is also given to us. This is a
tremendous reality for which we can never thank him enough, love him
enough, or gift him enough.
Even when we stray from him through sin, which we have
done starting with our first parents, God has not stopped to love us.
He instead has undertaken a complex work of salvation, sending his own
Son to us, and the Son offering his own life as a ransom for our sins.
And that redemptive work of his continues up to now through the
Church. Can we afford to be indifferent before this overwhelming love
of God for us?
We really need to learn to give ourselves as a gift to God
first, and then to our neighbor, whoever he is. This is the proper
basic attitude and frame of mind to have. Everything else that we
think, speak or do has to spring from this attitude.
Thus, we have to give ourselves to God and others with
joy, because as St. Paul once said, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2
Cor 9,7) Our self-giving has to be total, and in all seasons.
It has to go beyond the limits of rationality and justice,
without any compulsion nor ulterior motive. It has to be done
completely out of freedom which is how love is. As Christ himself
described it, “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Mt 10,8)
We should not be afraid to give because Christ reassured
us that what we lose we actually would gain a hundredfold. He himself
said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20,35)
We should immerse ourselves in the dynamics of gift-giving
that starts and ends with God.
celebrations, the celebrants would profusely thank God for the “gift
of life.” This expression has become so common it is getting to be a
cliché or a meme, and can invariably be expected to be heard on such
occasions.
That, of course, should not come as a surprise. It is the
least thing one can say on such happy moments. It is really what is
proper. But what I would also like to hear is for the celebrants to
profusely offer themselves, by way of truly meaning their gratitude,
as a gift to God, and because of God, as a gift also to all the
others.
This is simply the language of love. That’s why a gift is
the other name of love. When one is in love, he gives a gift. And when
one receives a gift, a certain unspoken law would suggest that he
returns the favor. This is the sense of indebtedness that, thanks be
to God, is quite developed in our Filipino culture. We call it “utang
ng loob” in Tagalog, and “utang kabubut-on” in Bisaya.
Our culture tries to express in some way what truly is in
the hearts of people when they are in love or are given a favor or a
gift. We do this by giving or exchanging tokens, i.e., certain objects
that somehow express how we feel inside toward a person.
But what we should not forget is that what are given and
received are not just objects but our own selves. Christ said this
very clearly when asked about the greatest commandment which is
nothing but loving and giving oneself.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important
commandment,” Christ said. “The second is like it: Love your neighbor
as yourself.” (Mt 22,37-39)
From these words we should then understand that we are
meant to give ourselves as a gift to God and to the others. This
should be our most basic attitude on which all the other
considerations in our life have to be built. We are meant to be a gift
to God and to everyone else. Are we, at least, aware of this truth?
And once aware, are we doing something to live it to the full?
To start developing this basic attitude, we need to
consider what God has gifted us in the first place. He has given us
the ‘gift of life,’ and together with it, the gifts of faith, hope and
charity. He has given us the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit, and
many other, endless things.
All of these, because in the first place God has created
us in his very image and likeness. We have been made children of his,
which means that what God has is also given to us. This is a
tremendous reality for which we can never thank him enough, love him
enough, or gift him enough.
Even when we stray from him through sin, which we have
done starting with our first parents, God has not stopped to love us.
He instead has undertaken a complex work of salvation, sending his own
Son to us, and the Son offering his own life as a ransom for our sins.
And that redemptive work of his continues up to now through the
Church. Can we afford to be indifferent before this overwhelming love
of God for us?
We really need to learn to give ourselves as a gift to God
first, and then to our neighbor, whoever he is. This is the proper
basic attitude and frame of mind to have. Everything else that we
think, speak or do has to spring from this attitude.
Thus, we have to give ourselves to God and others with
joy, because as St. Paul once said, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2
Cor 9,7) Our self-giving has to be total, and in all seasons.
It has to go beyond the limits of rationality and justice,
without any compulsion nor ulterior motive. It has to be done
completely out of freedom which is how love is. As Christ himself
described it, “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Mt 10,8)
We should not be afraid to give because Christ reassured
us that what we lose we actually would gain a hundredfold. He himself
said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20,35)
We should immerse ourselves in the dynamics of gift-giving
that starts and ends with God.
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