“When we make others happy, we experience the joy that human beings are meant to experience.”
The Perfect Gift
Have you ever found the perfect gift for someone, the gift you knew would delight that person like no other?
I was once shopping for a birthday gift for a friend. He was a geologist and I was poking around one of those science oriented gift stores looking for something that might be appropriate. Eventually I made my way to the back of the shop where I found, buried beneath a few other forgotten texts, a Stratigraphic Atlas.
It is probably safe to say that the majority of readers out there have never heard of such a thing, neither had I. But as I leafed through it I smiled as I discovered that it was a collection of maps dealing with the layers of rock and sediment that make up the continents of North and South America.
“Perfect!” I thought. “This is something he might appreciate.”
I took it up to the register and even the clerk couldn’t believe I was buying it. She called other employees over to show them that someone was actually buying “that book.” the book they thought would never sell.
I simply smiled and told them I had a friend I thought would like it. I payed for it, took it home, wrapped it, and then I had to wait a week or so for the birthday party. I was pretty sure I had made a good choice and couldn’t wait to see how my friend would react. I was not disappointed.
He opened the gift, his eyes lit up, and the joy and excitement he felt was obvious to all. He wanted to share it with everyone but even his girlfriend just smiled, patted his hand with a “yes its very nice,” and went on to other things. But my friend spent every moment he could steal from his guests, pouring over the esoteric maps of the layers of rocks and sediment that we all take for granted as just “the ground.”
I do not remember many of the gifts I have given throughout my life, but I remember that one, just because of the shear joy it gave my friend and the pleasure it brought me in doing so.
Joy in Giving
When we make others happy, we experience the joy that human beings are meant to experience. We are created in God’s image and so the activity that will bring us the greatest joy is the activity that most characterizes God, giving good gifts to others and making them happy. That is what God does because God is love.
We are here to share the love of God with the entire world. We do this in many ways but they are all different means to the same end. We want to share the love and mercy that God had shown us, with the rest of the world. We may not always receive the instant gratification of seeing the delight in a person’s eyes when we share this gift, but we know that for many it is a gift that is only appreciated over time.
The success of Saint Paul was not always apparent but it did not stop him in his giving.
Paul became a preacher not through any choosing of his own. It was a divine obligation laid upon him by God, a commission entrusted to him by God Himself. It is not something to boast about, it is not a career, it is a vocation, a calling.
He does not measure his success by the size of his church or the money in his bank account. He measures his success by the number of souls he is able to preach the Gospel to.
Paul tells us how he fulfills his ministry. He has one Gospel to preach but he does it in different ways. He adapts his message to his audience. He adapts not only his preaching style but also his personal style – his eating, dressing, and social habits – to make it serve and enhance the appeal of the Gospel message to his listeners.
Even if you are not called to the vocation of a consecrated life, or holy orders, the words of Paul still have meaning for you. Jesus directed all of His followers to go and make disciples. How do we do this? We go throughout the world baptizing and teaching all that Jesus commanded. This is the great commission given to us by our Lord. And each of us accomplishes this in a way unique to ourselves, each according to his or her gifts.
We are all called to preach the Gospel, the Good News of man’s salvation to the entire world. We are called to preach Christ. There is no greater happiness for us or for others, than to help someone find a true, lasting, personal friendship with Jesus Christ. His friendship gives hope and meaning to both our triumphs and our struggles in this life.
So why would we not be His missionaries? Why would we not tell others about God’s forgiveness, mercy, and power? Bringing others to Christ, and bringing Christ closer to others will bring us more joy than anything else. Why would we not want to spread joy throughout the world?
Thomas Kempis said, “A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.” The gifts we give and the gifts we receive are less important than the love that is behind those gifts.
May we all realize the great love God has for us, reflected in the gifts He has given us.
Pax Vobiscum
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time