Fr. Richard OMOLADE

 

 

God's greatest gift to humanity is the gift of his only begotten Son. That gift cannot be surpassed. In that one gift, God has given us the best possible gift. We therefore have a good guide to follow as we give our gifts to God and to the people around us. God gave us the perfect gift knowing that we will never be able to pay him back. In fact, God is not expecting anything in return.  How then do we give when we give others gift?  What do we give God as gift?  Indeed, what do we have that we have not been given?  Hence we are only returning something back to God from what He has blessed us with. Consequently, we cannot just give him anything. We must give the best we have or gifts worthy of the receiver-God. Here the three wise men are our teachers.

 

The story of the Magi or the three wise men from the East is a lovely story because it contains the shape of our life, one of discernment, of our journey through life, of discovery and satisfaction, of discovering the purpose of life and doing something about it.  The three wise men left everything in pursuit of life’s goal.  They must have encountered many problems, but they were undaunted. Every problem surmounted is a valuable lesson learnt. They went through their dark nights and emerged into light. They went through threats and conquered through their patience and perseverance.  In their readiness to offer all they’ve got; they gained the one who is all in all. They were wise after all, so we must learn from them.

The wise men gave the newborn king, the gift of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, very symbolic gifts and the best they could get to express the deep emotion they hold in their hearts. The kings gave without expecting anything in return. Their giving was truly free and noble. They gave items that are not only expressive but also useful to the Infant king. Their giving was not an act of kindness, that was not the motive. In the sublimity of their giving, they worship the Newborn king, hence their giving was an act of worship. All to Jesus, they surrendered not just themselves, but the best they had. Giving today is not like this. Many give in hope of return. Many give as a form of investment, expecting when the situation will demand that the recipient give something in return for previous gifts received.  Some give but only to special people, only to those they consider deserving of it.

 

After thousands of years, the wise men are still teaching us that giving is a noble act and when we give from the heart, we make two people happy, the giver and the recipient. While the giving always precede the receiving because it is in giving that we receive, the giving itself is the noblest of the two deeds. If you have much to give, then give all that is possible, but if you don’t have much to give, then give the best that you have and give it with all your heart, then your gift will melt hearts and rivers of joy will flow in your life. Dorothy Day had this in mind when she said that “the best things to do with the best things in life is to give them away.”

Why do people give today? Are they giving because it is the best thing to do or are they giving because they want to be known and acknowledged? Let’s take a cue from the wise men again, they offered different gifts without competing with each other.  In their differences, they complemented one another. They contributed to his ministry and performed noble tasks. We must give freely and cheerfully, yes, God loves a cheerful giver.

 

We must reassess our giving and begin to give according to the mind of God. We must give like God himself, giving the best we have and lovingly too. Yes, times are hard, and many people are struggling, so give what you can give. Do not allow anyone to force you and diminish the value of your giving. And if you do not have, there is no problem. God understands and is not going to punish you because He knows you do not have. But if you have, then, you must remember that “whoever sows generously will also reap generously. (2 Cor 9:6).

Above all, all our gifts should be fit for God. If they are not fit for God, they may not be good enough and we should change that giving. Our giving should honour God and if they are not the best possible we dishonour ourselves. As beloved children of God, we need to give God from our best resources since it is a sign of our appreciation for the way He has blessed us and because the gift is directed to God, nothing other than the best is good enough. Even when we are giving to the needy, we should still give the best, because God is worthy of our gifts.