"For it is in giving that we receive..."
- Prayer of St Francis
So we have made it to the final instalment of our 12 Days of Christmas feature and we hope that you have enjoyed sharing this little journey with us. Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, the day in which the Magi finally arrive at the stable to welcome the baby Jesus into the world. They came baring gifts truly fit for a king and although we can't offer physical gifts to Jesus what can we offer him in our lives?
In many places the Epiphany is also a day of gift giving, much like Christmas day, mirroring the gifts given by the Magi who arrived at Jesus birth place on this day. We all enjoy and appreciate the gifts we are given at Christmas time but what happiness can we take from seeing others receive the gifts that we give? May we all see that our giving is not simply about the present wrapped up all nice and pretty but in the thing that cannot be seen, the love that is bundled up between all the paper and ribbons.
Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan writing for the NY Post today reflected on the act of giving by recounting a short story written by O. Henry called 'The Gift of the Magi'. The lady in this story has her hair cut, selling her hair to a wig shop, to gain enough money to buy her husband a platinum watch. The gentleman sells his pocket watch so that he can buy his wife elaborate hair clips. They exchange gifts with each other on this very day, the Epiphany, and realise that they have given up their most cherished possessions because of the love they have for one another. Surely this is the best gift that one person can give to another, that of selfless love?
Thank you to everyone who has joined us through our very first 12 Days of Christmas feature. Your feedback is much appreciated as we strive to bring more features like this to our blog!
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