It’s great to celebrate the birthday of Jesus by getting Christmas gifts for lots of people — but we run the risk of forgetting to get a gift for the Birthday Boy himself.
In sociological language, there are recommitment holidays like Thanksgiving, where we recommit to family, and tension management holidays, like Halloween, when we relax our standards and have fun.
Christmas is the first kind of holiday, not the second; that means that the most important person to get a gift for is Jesus himself. Scripture gives great direction on what to get.
Obedience was the first thing the shepherds gave.
In the Gospel of Luke, the shepherds “went with haste” to seek out the sign the angels told them about. Obedience — to God, to proper civil authorities, to proper Church authorities — is a crucial virtue for us too. Even Jesus was obedient “unto death.”
As St. Francis de Sales said, “The devil doesn’t fear austerity but holy obedience.” A good place to start is upping our obedience to the Five Precepts of the Church.
Evangelization was the second gift the shepherds gave.
Luke tells us that the shepherds “made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child,” and “returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”
Our own Christmas experiences are worth sharing, too. A great answer to “What are you doing for Christmas?” in addition to travel plans is, “We love Christmas Mass.” And an appropriate answer later to, “Did you have a good holiday?” is “I felt so close to God praying in the Church with the manger right there.”
And don't forget that praise is what we were created to do, and will be our prayer in Heaven. Give it a start now.
Money was the first gift the Magi gave Baby Jesus.
Gold can represent a lot of things in the Gospel story, but one thing is pretty clear: Gold is “generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts.” In other words, it’s money. Jesus said “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth … store up treasures in heaven.” Which caused St. Teresa of Avila to say, “Our greatest gain is to lose the wealth that is of such brief duration.”
Christmas is a great time to review monthly giving and make it less comfortable and more effective.
Worship was the next gift the Magi gave.
Frankincense was used in worship in the ancient world, and the magi prostrated themselves when they gave it to him. God wants our worship too. He especially wants us to give him our idols. A good test is to ask, “What is the one thing I wouldn’t give God if he asked?” He has probably already asked for it: your phone, your entertainment, your addiction, your spending, your temper …
Or maybe it’s your pride. We may think that we have to be “the best version of ourselves” to be acceptable to God. But God loves the current version of yourself.
Even if you fail, even if you are in a state of sin, offer him yourself in “a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving:” imperfections, sins, and all.
Prayer for the dead was the next thing the Magi gave.
Myrrh was used to prepare the dead for burial. Service for the dead remains a big part of Catholic life. It is in the Corporal Works of Mercy — “bury the dead” — and in the Spiritual Works of Mercy twice: To pray for the dead and console the grieving.
Especially at Christmastime, those who miss their loved ones need consolation — and Christmas is the greatest hope for the dead.
Serving those in need is the last gift we are explicitly told to give to Christ.
Christmas says without words what Matthew 25 spells out. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me,” Jesus will say then. But we already know that from Christmas.
Why else would Jesus appear among us in poverty, on the road, in a stable, as a helpless infant? He who was rich became poor. His clear message is that we should look for him there today.
