4th Sunday of Advent
Cycle C
December 23, 2012 9:30 and 11am
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
Receiving Instead of
Giving
Some
years ago the comic strip For Better or
For Worse had a humorous episode right before Christmas.
Mom and
Dad and six-year-old April are shopping at the mall. April is absolutely captivated by all the
toys and everything else.
“Look, Dad!
I want it for Christmas! I want a
‘Wake-Up-Willy’ and a rocket sleigh! An’
a real camera an’...an’…an’…”
Eventually
Dad has had enough. “April, Christmas is a time for giving!
There is a lot more joy in giving to others.”
April immediately
responds, “I know, Dad. But somebody has to receive or there’d be
nobody to give stuff to.”
Elizabeth and Mary
Little
April, of course, has a lot of child-like, self-interest going on here.
But
April also leads us to a good insight. It
is important for us to see ourselves first as receivers and only then as
givers.
In the
background to today’s gospel, we know that Mary’ cousin Elizabeth is an older
woman, at least those times. She is
probably in her 40s but the average lifespan is about 50.
Elizabeth
and her husband have had no children and now surprisingly she is bearing a baby. She sees this as a gift from God and knows
that she is a receiver.
Mary is
Elizabeth’s much younger cousin. She
doesn’t fully understand the angel’s message, but she trusts God and sees
herself as receiving a gift from God.
So both
Elizabeth and Mary see themselves as blessed by God – as receivers. And, very significantly, seeing themselves as
receivers moves them to be givers and shapes how they give to others.
Receivers First, Then Givers
This may be a
different way of looking at things, but it is a valuable insight.
We need to live
first as receivers, not exactly like April in the comic strip, but as receivers
from God. We need the awareness that
ultimately, everything in life is a gift from God.
If we live with
that awareness, then we will probably be moved from within to be givers. And beyond that, our awareness of receiving
will shape our giving.
Receiving Shaping Our Giving
For example, this awareness that first we are receivers will lead us to
be attentive to others and to give what they really need.
In the gospel, Mary gives her time and assistance to Elizabeth when her
cousin really needs it. We might give
our listening or empathy to a spouse or child or friend, and not just a sweater
or something else, good in itself, but maybe not what the person most needs
from us right now.
The awareness that first we are receivers will also lead us to give
without our ego needs getting in the way.
Again, in the gospel, Elizabeth praises Mary as greater than herself,
even though Mary is much younger and much less significant in the eyes of
others. We might give an apology to a
friend or recognition to an employee, without letting our need to be right or
also be recognized get in the way.
And the awareness that first we are receivers will also lead us to give
with no expectation of return.
Mary gives her time to Elizabeth and Elizabeth gives praise to Mary –
each of them doing this because they want to do it and it is a good thing to do
and each of them expecting nothing in return.
We might give care to our parents or a nice present to a friend because
we want to do it and it is good to do and we expect nothing in return.
Conclusion
So, it may sound surprising, but Christmas is first about receiving and
only then is it about giving.
Our awareness that we are first of all receivers from God will also lead
us to give and it will shape our giving.
It will lead us 1) to give what others really need, 2) to give without
our ego getting in the way, and 3) to give with no expectation of return.
