Christmas Day is Christ’s birthday
Scripture tells us, “What you do to the least of My brethren you do unto Me.”
Many of us today are worrying our pretty little heads on how to buy gifts for our families and our close friends with a tight budget. What about Jesus? What are we planning to give the main celebrant?
We know that God does not want sacrifice. All God wants is love and close friendship with our fellow beings.
How about giving little meaningful things which would show our concern for our neighbors, and those who cannot give us back anything in return?
Recently, I met an old employee who said, “Ma’am, I’ll collect my gift from you this Christmas.” My first reaction was just to smile but some incident in my past made me say, “Okay.”
My mom taught me a lesson when I was already employed after graduation.
The day after Christmas, my mom had run out of things to give. Imagine my surprise when she rushed into my room and said, “Borrow P20. I’ll pay you back.” I noticed that an old helper of ours was visiting her. I gave her the money but I said, “Why panic? After all she only comes once a year to collect.”
The look of exasperation on my mom’s face plus her retort made me realize the depth of her generosity. Mom said, “Precisely! She only comes once a year!”
Mothers really have a way of making a long lasting dent in our upbringing. For most of us, this Christmas will be hard on our resources. However, if we watch out for “buy one, take one” offers or discounts on items which can be given to people who really don’t have anything to give back, somehow, I believe that our main celebrant will smile fondly at us and say, “That’s the way to celebrate Christmas!”
Some of my friends who are senior citizens used their senior citizen’s allowance to make bundles of joy for scavengers, for street vendors selling their wares from house to house. We have quite a number of honest, hardworking people. They all have to bear the brunt of the scorching heat and the pouring rains. The Filipino is extra generous during Christmas. These kind-hearted people I am referring to belong to the working class. They also have needs to fulfill but they still have big hearts. They show love, hope and concern for those who have less in life.
While they give in silence, our Lord sees everything.