Welcome to Resurrection Parish as we begin the fourth week of our message series, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It is the third week of Advent, which is the shortest of the liturgical seasons. We are definitely in a busy time of year. How many of you are finished your Christmas shopping? Did you get your cards out? Is the tree up and the house decorated? This is a special time with many blessed experiences, however we can lose sight of the blessing because of the business. It is the hope of this message series that we learn to slow down, become more aware of our blessings, and foster an attitude of gratitude.
Three weeks ago we looked at the three essential, but at times challenging, steps for becoming more grateful. First we need to become more aware of the gifts that we receive everyday. Second we need to shift our attention from the gift to the giver, and ultimately that means focusing on God’s generous love for us. Finally we need to practice gratitude, making it part of our daily routine like brushing our teeth.
Two weeks ago we looked that two general kinds of things that can rob us of our gratitude; big problems and the anxieties of daily life. When it comes to big problems faith is thanking God in advance of the blessing. It is thanking God in advance that he is using those problems to change and transform our character. Then when dealing with the daily anxieties, faith is seeing the blessings behind the burdens.
Last weekend we discussed the importance of expressing our gratitude to the people in our lives.
This weekend we are looking at the connection between gratitude and giving. We see this played out in a passage from the Gospel of St. Luke introducing us to the figure of St. John the Baptist, a central figure in this season of Advent. John was a wildly popular prophet and preacher. Preaching out in the wilderness, people would flock from the cities and towns of the region to hear him. He called them to renewal in faith, reform in living, and, as a sign of their renewal and reform, baptism. His message was summed up as, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
John was reminding the crowds that just being Jewish, wasn’t enough. They couldn’t simply rely on their religious heritage. To be ready for the coming of the Lord they had to prepare. A lot of cultural Catholics are just like the people John was talking to. They say things like, “I’m baptized, I’m Confirmed, I’m good, I’m done.” John preaches against that mentality, calling us to active preparation, a faith that is alive in us, transforming us.
So today’s Gospel begins with the crowd asking John the Baptist, “What should we do?” As Christians living 2,000 years later, knowing that Christmas is coming, wanting to prepare our hearts and homes, what should we do, how do we prepare?
St. John the Baptist tells us: “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise” (Luke 3:11). Giving to our place of worship is an act of worship, and God wants us to give to him first, off the top, before other expenses. However the Bible also talks about another kind of giving, giving to the poor.
St. John the Baptist describes this kind of giving as coming from what’s extra. We give out of the extra we have to those who are in need. Most of us in this community have plenty of extra, which is nothing to feel guilty about, in fact weshould celebrate the extra we have. That is about first of all expressing gratitude to God, for what we have, because ultimately it all comes from him. A great way to thank God for our extra is to share.
There is a saying, “Do something for my kid and you do something for me.” God says the same thing to us, “Do something for my kid and you do something for me.” We express gratitude to God by giving from our extra to his children.
We try to provide opportunities for us to give from our extra. Month after month, the food collection bins seem to be full. That food goes to local food banks. The St. Vincent de Paul Confraternity is always grateful for the generosity of parishioners, which allow them to assist people perhaps pay the rent, or catch up on paying utilities. Of course each Advent you are generous with the St. Vincent de Paul giving tree, the annual coat drive conducted by our religious education students, and the Scouting for Food campaign.
So let me extend, both on my behave, and on the behave of those organizations our deepest and most sincere thank you for your generosity, which in return expresses your gratitude to God for the blessings he has given you.
The best way to express gratitude to God is to share our extra, and when we do it can actually change and transform the lives of others. That’s even more reason to be grateful.