“Without cost
you have received; without cost you are to give,” Jesus tells us. Or, as another
translation has it: “Freely you have received, freely give.” Can you think of
something that is all your own, and not a gift from God? Many people might cite
their achievements, the money they have earned, the awards they may have
received. Would any of that be possible without the talents and abilities God
has given us? When you stop to think about it, everything we have is given to
us by God. There is one exception: our sins. They are all our own. Everything
else comes ultimately from God – not because we are good enough to deserve
God’s gifts – for none of us is. God showers his gifts on us not as rewards for
being good, but simply because He is
so good that he wants to share his goodness and love with us.
What is the
appropriate response? We can describe it in a single word: thanksgiving. Here’s
a question we all need to ask ourselves from time to time: Am I a thankful
person? If we are people of prayer – and you would hardly be here if you
weren’t – then we’re probably pretty good at asking God for things. Are we
equally good at saying “Thank you,” when our requests are granted?
I was born before universal air
travel. In my childhood I remember hearing about the Pastor of a wealthy parish
who regretted that so many of his parishioners were lost at sea every summer.
When they asked him, How come? he explained: “Lots of my people ask every June
for Masses for a safe passage to Europe . Come
Labor Day I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of Masses of
thanksgiving requested for a safe return.”
What is the best way to thank God for
all his gifts? The closing words of our gospel reading tell us: “Freely you
have received, freely give.” In other words: we can’t keep God’s gifts, unless
we give them away.” And it gets even better. When we do give them away, they
come back to us. If you doubt that, just try it!
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