I have a pet peeve when it comes to holiday entertainment. Very often, there’s a disconnect when it comes to gifts. Like, in a car commercial, you’ll see a husband giving his wife a car (complete with giant bow on top), and it’s this huge surprise and the wife is all delighted and giggly. Now, I have absolutely no idea what universe that happens in; generally speaking, if I were to make a $30,000+ purchase without my spouse’s explicit go-ahead, I’d be in the doghouse for the next jillion years.
Similarly, you’ll see movies and TV shows where someone gives a new pet, vacation tickets to an exotic location, or even a house, seemingly without having discussed it in any fashion beforehand. There are so many ways this can go wrong: “Thanks for the dog, but I’m allergic! And thanks for the nonrefundable tickets, but I can’t go to Barbados on May 17th because that’s my sister’s wedding. Oh, and I’m a huge walking fan, and this house doesn’t even have any sidewalks or places to walk to!”
This came to mind as I reflected on today’s Gospel selection, from Matthew. It’s the story of Jesus turning a few loaves and fishes into enough to feed a huge crowd, and it’s a great miracle. But one line jumped out at me, where Jesus says: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.”
In other words, Jesus is determining what they need, and then takes steps to satisfy those needs.
The Advent season has just begun. This season is one of the two in our liturgical calendar where we are expected to prepare ourselves for the arrival of Jesus. (The other, of course, is Lent, when we prepare for his return.)
It’s a season that culminates in communal giving (especially among friends and family), and — most importantly — with the gift of Jesus to the world. But amid all this gift-giving, it’s also a season that is made much better if we determine what we really want.
When it comes to gifts, many of us might think we know what we want, but sometimes we haven’t really thought of it: You want a dog? Okay; will you enthusiastically clean up after it every day, make sure it has food and water, and provide the exercise it needs? If you want a glittering jeweled necklace, have you envisioned how that would tie into your life, determined when and where would you wear it, thought about how it works with your wardrobe, and thought about how you’d keep it safe? Before receiving a wonderful gift, you need to understand what that gift means — to you and your life.
In Advent, it feels to me too easy to say we want the gift of Christ’s love. But have we really thought about what that means to us? “Tickets to Heaven” can be just as “inconvenient” as tickets to Barbados if we’re not willing to understand what that means to our lives. You probably need a passport before you can go to Barbados, and you need to similarly prepare your life before you receive the gift of salvation.
In both the act of giving and receiving, we should keep our eyes open for what the recipient wants to receive, and is willing and able to receive. (Even if that recipient is us!) You may well be ready to receive a dog, but you need to make sure you’ve done what you can to prepare for that possibility in your life. Similarly, you’re quite likely on the path of God’s greatest gift, but it’s good to confirm and reassess that.
And it’s also worthwhile to remember that it’s a time to receive and give. Fortunately, Jesus has made clear what’s on his “wish list”: Feed the hungry, help the sick, provide for those in need, spread the Good News . . . you know the rest. (Jesus is certainly easier to “shop for” than my father-in-law!)
If you’re looking for an Advent reflection today, consider thinking about what you really want, and how it intersects with the most-amazing gift that we prepare ourselves for in a few weeks. If you need to make your wants and needs more firmly defined, now is ideal to reflect on that. If you realize what your heart really wants is actually keeping you apart from God, perhaps work on that.
Advent is a fantastic time to listen, observe, and see what’s really needed . . . just like Jesus did. With that effort, miracles are possible.
