Basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Italy, (Basilica of St. Mary over Minerva) taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22
Christmas is a season of giving. When we give, we often find that we have actually received more than we have given. And, a gift need not always be of the material, or physical realm. Sometimes the best, most appreciated, most needed gift, is the gift of self. Self, freely given, whether it is our time, our voice, our concern, our empathy, or our prayers, is always received as heartfelt generosity. It is recognized by the recipient as genuine love.
This type of giving I call soul giving. Soul giving is when part of who we are becomes invested in someone else. We give something that cannot be snatched back by us and cannot be exchanged or returned by the recipient. In fact, there are times in soul giving when the recipient knows nothing of the gift. In particular, silent soul giving is very pleasing to Our Lord, and gains great reward for us.
Advent is a wonderful time to reflect on the greatest example of soul giving. It began with God The Creator, who lovingly placed a part of His soul in each of us, when He created us in is own image and likeness. Then, God The Father lovingly manifested His own soul in His Son, Jesus, whom He sent to us as a soul gift to become the Light of the world. In Jesus’ life, death, and Resurrection we find the greatest soul gift, with the ultimate soul gift given in the Eucharist. It is in the Eucharist, through His Most Holy Spirit, we find not only the physical body and blood of Jesus, but the soul of God embedded within His Son, allowing us to become one with our God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, of you and me.
In this beautiful Christmas season of giving, let us reflect on God’s ultimate soul gift to us and find ways to do a little soul giving ourselves by giving our time, our voice, our concern, our empathy, and most of all our prayers. More than likely, we will receive more than we give.
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