Christmas is About Giving

I know that all of the merchants out there are frothing at the mouth after reading the title of this post. "Christmas is for Giving." Forgive me, though, but I am not talking about the kind of giving that will stimulate the economy, or at least the kind that will brand me a capitalist pig.

I do, however, want to take a moment to elaborate on this season and what it means. I've been reading my newest favorite book, The 33 Doctors of the Church, and I'm really in love with one Saint Robert Bellarmine. I'd like to share a little more about him than I did in the last post. Remember that post? He was the one who reminded us to stop seeking out each other's faults.

Saint Bellarmine was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and was (and still is) considered one of the foremost theologians, scholars, and writers of Church doctrine. By all means, this man could have lived a very comfortable life. Cardinals of the Church were some of the wealthiest men in Rome and were privy to all of the comforts that life could give.

Saint Bellarmine was a different soul, however, and he really embodied something quite different. He was bothered and hurt by the sins of the Church, especially as it related to the excesses of the Church leadership. There is no doubt that he was an ardent Papist, but he was one of the first to write that the Pope should have no influence in the affairs of the states except that which involved the plight of humanity. In this regard, he was influential in turning the Church into what it is today instead of an Empire.

But what I see as most powerful about this man was the way he lived his life. Again, as a Cardinal, he was given anything and everything a man could want. Instead of living the lush lifestyle, and instead of being holed up at the Vatican (he was the chief Theologian for three Popes), he lived as simply as a parish priest. He loved people, and he treated the beggar with the same respect that he treated other Cardinals.

Everything that he had, he gave to the poor. In fact, because he was so busy writing volume after volume of books, he had an almoner (someone who was responsible for giving alms to the poor) who worked for him full-time. Many times, he ran out of money and pawned his own rings and plates to give to those who needed food and money. He even gave his mattress out twice to elderly people who were sick and in need of comfort.

In addition, even though he was sickly himself and very much affected by the cold, he gave away his cloaks to those in need and his coal/wood for his own fireplace to those affected by the cold. He always gave his gloves away, and it was only until his last years that he kept his gloves for himself because his hands bled due to a disease. And instead of buying new clothes when his legs swelled, he opted to have his existing clothes altered so he could give the money to needy families.

He indeed felt the pain of those in need, and he was known to weep when hearing of some peasant who died from starvation or exposure to the cold. He was a man who put God first in his life, a man who let the warmth of God warm his body while his own clothes and wood warmed the poor. He was a man who worked tirelessly to change the Church to have this mentality, and he was gentle and loving to all.

But in all of this, he was a genius. He wrote constantly, and his doctrines guided the Church for hundreds of years. But with all of his respect and his position in the Church, he still put the poor first throughout his life.

When I read about him, I can only wonder what I can do to help those in need. I believe, of all times of the year, this is the most important time to give. I know that the economy is tough, but look around and see your blessings. More than likely, you have a loving family, you can pay your bills, you have cars, you have nice clothes, and your children and grand-children have everything they could possibly want.

If you're like my family, we are cutting back on Christmas gifts this year. But what does that mean? For my family, it means that we're giving less to each other, but it doesn't mean that we're going without. My children will still get gifts, and Sherry and I will have each other and our families. We have everything that we need, and I am sure that most of you do to.

Think about those out there, though, who cannot feed their family a decent meal this Christmas. Think of how many children cannot get one simple gift. Get beyond the mentality that it's their fault. For many, it's not their fault. It's tough to live these days. It's tough to get by, and just putting a roof over their heads is about as much as some people can do. And in none of those cases is it the children's fault.

I listen to the letters that come in to WBAL Campaign for Kids, and I hear the horror stories. The mothers who work three jobs because their husbands abandoned them and their children. I hear about their not being able to afford clothes for their children or good food for the table for one day of the year.

Don't be fooled that the government is going to do anything. Sure, there are programs out there, but during this special time of year, these kids deserve something just a little special. Even the hardest of hearts can understand that.

In addition, there are people out there who are homeless, and I know that we've all looked at them and thought, "Get a job." Saint Bellarmine would never have done that, and now that I've seen the light, I'm going to change my ways in that regard too.

To exemplify that point, I'm going to tell a little story that's going to make my family mad, and I am sorry in advance for doing so, but I feel that this story needs to be told. I had an uncle who was an alcoholic. He couldn't hold a job down, and he was always ending up in some kind of need. Were it not for an uncle of mine, he would have lived on the street just like any homeless person you see today. In fact, many times, he was homeless.

I grew up listening about this uncle, hearing how he was no good and how lazy he was. But, you know what? If he had been born twenty years later, it would have been realized that he wasn't lazy. He had a disease, and he had a disease that could have been treated were he living it today. The problem wasn't alcohol -- alcohol was the ends, not the means.

I grew up disliking him because of the thing I heard about him, and now that he's dead, I feel closer to him than ever because I now understand. I understand that he had issues that needed attention, and I understand that he needed love. It makes me sad to know that the only true love he had on a daily basis, the only true affectionate contact he had, was with his dog. It makes me sad to know that on a day-to-day basis, he was abandoned and forgotten. I'm not blaming my family. Times were different then, and these things were viewed differently then, but I hate it nonetheless. But it does serve as a reminder, knowing those things that we know today, that many of the homeless need our love and help. And now is the time for giving. Now is the time to put others first and ourselves last. Now is the time to quit making judgments. After all, isn't that for God to do? Have we exalted ourselves as the judge? I believe Christ told us to take care of each other; I believe Paul wrote to the Church to take care of its members; and I believe John wrote that God would be the ultimate Judge.

So, I know that I've rambled. My only exhortation during this time of year is for you to do one special thing for someone to make this season a little brighter. I don't care how you do it. Put extra money in the Poor Box, donate to the food bank, give to Toys for Tots, or, better yet, find a family that you know is poor and stop by Christmas morning with some toys and a turkey. Whatever, do something in the name of Christ and do what Christ and Saint Bellarmine would have done. It's only one day out of 365, and it's only a few dollars out of thousands. And with that, we can make a huge difference in someone's life.

And if you listened to the story of my uncle, I also exhort to you to be there for loved ones who are struggling. Be there for them every day. Love them and help them every day. Their blood runs through your veins -- don't forget that. Yes, I know that many of these people make it difficult to love, and I know it is not as easy as I make it out to be. However, as Saint Bellarmine would probably say, it is better to work through that than it is to leave it alone. They are Christ's children too. Get beyond the feelings that "they did it to themselves," and just be there for them. I wish I could have been for my uncle, and I regret that his memory serves a powerful lesson in that regard. Let's not have any more memories of regret. That is not Christ's way.

Merry Christmas.

Mark