Give God the Gift of Your Heart This Christmas

Christmas is the time of gift giving. And when we try to give gifts to those we hold dear to us we want it to be something special, maybe something homemade and heartfelt, maybe something they have talked about all year,or maybe even something that you spent all year saving for this item. Whatever the gift is, you will be certain that it has meaning and depth behind it.

However, what kind of gift can we possibly give to God, especially after all He has done for us? The answer is simple: our hearts. God wants the thing we hold most dear to us, for Him to be number one in our lives. He wants us to be the center of our lives and for us to do all things through Him and in Him.

But, what if we have strayed from God? The thing is God knows very well that we are sinners. That is why He invites us in this penitential season of Advent to the sacrament of Confession to clean out the mangers of our hearts. And, if we ever doubt the powerful love and mercy God has for us when we do come back to Him after having sinned, let us look to the parable of the Prodigal Son.

Then he said, “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.

Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”‘ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ (Luke Chapter 15:11-32).

Maybe, you are brokenhearted for the holidays or have been away from the Faith for many years. No matter what kind of pains and difficulties you are struggling with this year, I invite you to come home to the Catholic Church. It is truly the place where all faithful members of Christ gather as one and share in His Heavenly banquet which is nourishment for our souls. No matter what burdens you carry, come to carry the Baby Jesus. He is waiting to be kept in the manger of your heart.

To quote Saint Faustina Kowalska, “God’s love shines most brightly in the silence of the manger”.