Advent; towards a Giving Christmas......

Advent Thoughts; towards a Giving Christmas.......

"And God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son so that we may not perish but have everlasting life." And so the whole Gospel Christmas narrative is full of giving; because God is. Mary giving her womb and her will; Joseph his heart and his hearth, giving his consent also to what must have been hard in that culture.... The innkeeper giving all he could in that crowded village.... The Three Wise Men with their beautiful ,awful, symbolic gifts.. And the shepherds are always depicted as bringing gifts....As if all echo and fulfil in comprehensible human terms that huge, total giving of Himself into our flesh into our world with all its beauties and dangers, all its apparent poverty and paradoxical riches. Giving because being loved evokes a response in our sore hearts, and is alone the balm that will heal them. For giving is the why and the how of life. For when we love and are loved, it is natural to long to give. And the giving of love is a sacrament; the outward and visible, physical sign of an inward, invisible, spiritual grace... But who then do we give to? How do we in human terms express and translate the huge, God-giving of Himself into a tiny, helpless infant, "all meanly wrapped in swaddling bands and in a manger laid."? And how does all the crass commercialism connect with this sacrificial all-gift? Everyone being blasted from autumn onwards, scurrying round trying to give big gifts to folk who already have more than they need? Getting into credit card debt... overeating and overdrinking; because "Christmas is about giving"? And the wise pagan peasants nod and say "Well, it is simply a Bacchic festival of light at the darkest season..."And all they see in "the world" ratifies and reinforces that... So what do we do? How do we, as Christmas looms large on the not-very-distant horizon, give as Christ gives? How do we honour that world-sized giving of all? It is hard indeed. First, we who know Christ, who have Him in our hearts and bodies, are "in the world" not "of the world".. He tells us this time and time and time again. The peace He gives us is not "as the world gives"; how often the first part of that verse gets quoted in isolation.. Which distorts it. We ARE different; should that not be reflected in our daily, physical lives? And especially at our major feasts? When we who know the truth... Let me tell you my "solution", one that has brought and brings still great spiritual and thus physical peace, to me and to others. For the orgy of giving had long worried me; and the more I came close to God, the more my concern grew. He is in the poorest, in the most needy. He is in the broken, the street-dwellers, the rejected... Oh, I gave when the appeals came in - but somehow it was lip service, not from the deeps; giving of my abundance ( and, yes; even living on disability we have abundance) and not of my substance or of myself. And

remember what Jesus said to the widow....

For me a turning point was the Millennium Services, almost the last TV I watched. Richly caparisoned church dignitaries, their vestments stiff with gold embroidery, preaching the Beatitudes to a congregation of royals and notables, discreetly bejewelled expensively coiffeured.. With polite, bored faces as those haunting and, yes, accusing words rang out And the central hypocrisy so much of the "official" church has become aroused strong, strong reaction in me. It all seemed an obscenity; a far, far cry from Jesus of Nazareth, born so poorly, with nowhere to lay His head, and yet overflowing with true wealth, not where moth and rust could corrupt, teaching patiently, over and again that material things have no value at all and can and do blind and impede us. Because I was at that time "outside the camp", pushed away by an uncaring Church, I came to see it all so much more clearly and cleanly. As if through God''s eyes.. And that white light in my soul told me . "This is wrong; this is not of Christ, not of God; not what we should be living." But hard to make that break? To swim against the tide? So we maybe buy charity cards? Later that year, I took my first formal vows as a religious. And that was a wondrous chance to change at least my part in all this. I simply declared an amnesty on Christmas gifts. I have all I need and more; I know my friends love me. I need no gift to assure me of that; I know God loves me and them. I had always bought "charity" cards; now I went further. I made simple cards on the computer a relaxing and fulfilling occupation. And conscientiously added up all I thus saved. Most friends with computers had ecards.... So I saved that saved postage also. And they even have music!! I "allowed" small token gifts. Mine were all home-made or home grown. Budding hyacinths I had planted in autumn.... notepaper and cards I made on the computer..... And I added all I thus saved to the fund; and asked friends also to give what they would have spent to charities. One friend, far from well off herself, said how good that had felt; that was the grace given to her from that giving. One thing I did not cut out was the Tree; on the island I always lit the hermitage gloriously, praying that the Light of Christ would shine out across the dark fields . I am awed and humbled now to know that it did and reached hearts and souls for Him. And when I looked at that small pile of bright little parcels under that shining tree my heart knew so much thankfulness ... I am loved; by God and by many.. I am thus so blessed. And the pleasure from those token gifts was far, far greater than from anything larger. For when we simplify, when we stop thinking in terms of money and substitute love, that happens. A strong magic. Because we give then of our hearts, of ourselves - as God did and does. And Christ- mass becomes blessed and holy, sanctified and purified by that spirit of giving. There is one haunting carol... "What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. If I were a wise man, I would play my part. But what I can I give him - give my heart" Oh, but be careful what you pray for! Easy to sing, but when you give your heart to that Baby-Who-is-God, you give it to all mankind also. Loving Him

- and loving your neighbour... Be careful!

And we are not poor - so when we give substantially of our substance, we give of our hearts.... And that giving, not to others who are rich , but to those who have almost nothing, becomes a prayer in itself, a sacrament. And thus Xmas becomes Christ-Mass . And let then Christ- mass spread out all through our lives; let us never cease to give then. Christ did not nor does not...... And that grace of blessings will stay, and will burgeon and blossom in our hearts, and radiate outwards with His love to all around us. So, tiny babe! Will we this year , really give You our hearts? For ever and eternity, with all that that means? Will we really give ourselves? How can we not? We who He blesses so richly with Himself? How can we not?