Two brothers worked
together on a family farm. One was unmarried and the other married with
children. They shared what they grew equally as they always did, produce and
profit. But one day the single brother said to himself, “You know, it is not
right that we should share the produce equally, and the profit too. After all,
I am all alone, just by myself and my needs are simple. But there is my poor
brother with a wife and all those children.”
So in the middle of the
night he took a sack of grain from his bin, crept over the field between their
houses and dumped it into his brother’s bin.
Meanwhile, unknown to
him, his brother had the same thought. He said to himself, “It is not right
that we should share the produce and profit equally. After all, I am married
and I have my wife to look after me and my children for years to come.” So he,
too, in the middle of the night took to taking a sack of grain from his bin and
sneaking across the field to deposit it in his brother’s bin.
For years, both were
puzzled as to why their supply did not dwindle. Well, one night it just so
happened that they both set out for each other’s houses at the same time. In
the dark, they bumped into each other carrying their sacks. Each was startled,
but then it slowly dawned on them what was happening. They dropped their sacks
and embraced one another.
This story is one among
those which tells us that love is all about giving. When one loves, he or she
thinks of what is good for the other. He or she is happy to hear good news
about the other. Unlike any person who does not know how to love, a loving
person does not envy or jealous of what the other receives as a blessing from
God. He or she even adds blessings for the other despite the blessings the
latter already has received.
In our Gospel, Luke
1:26-38, it is implicitly provided that God loves us all as He thinks of what
is good for us. God, in His love for us, sent an angel to Mary to be the mother
of Jesus our Saviour. God gave us His only son through Mary. Mary, in turn, accepted
the will of God as a blessing for all. Mary knew that the blessing of God was
not only meant for her but for all. She gave her “Yes” to God in our behalf. In
saying “Yes”, Mary understood well that love is all about giving, especially
giving oneself to God. What is surprising in this Gospel however, the angel
told her that her kinswoman Elizabeth conceived a son in her old age. Although the
purpose of this information was to confirm the possibility of the announcement
of the angel to Mary to be the mother of Jesus, it could help us also uncover
how full of love Mary is. Upon hearing the good news about her cousin
Elizabeth, Mary felt neither envy nor jealousy. This is how a person filled
with love reacts upon knowing about the blessings others receive from God.
Persons like Mary think good about the other and for the other. They rejoice
like Mary to be a blessing from God to others. They are willing to give even
themselves for the sake of the other. My dear friends, may this Christmas
season then be the occasion for us to give our time, talents and even ourselves
to bring blessings to others. Amen.
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