Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Let me ask you a question of the heart.

Children, what do you see in your parents?
Do you see them as a precious gift, or merely as a credit card, a source of things rather than love?

Parents, what do you see in your children?
Do you see them as a gift, or sometimes as a burden, exhausting your patience and strength?

Friends, what do you see in each other?
Do you see a gift, someone to journey with in life, or merely a benefit, someone to use when it suits you?

Young men and women, what do you see in your relationships?
Do you see your boyfriend or girlfriend as a gift, or just a convenient arrangement, a “friend with benefits”?

Wives, what do you see in your husbands?
A gift, chosen by God, or just a moving laziness, present in body but not in heart?

Husbands, what do you see in your wives?
A gift, your companion and helper, or a talking machine that gives you a headache?

Parishioners, what do you see in your parish priest?
Do you see a gift, a shepherd of souls, or a difficulty, someone hard to understand or please?

Priests, what do you see in your people?
Do you see a gift, entrusted to you by God, or just trouble, a weight too heavy to bear?

And now, deeper still:

What do you see in the poor, the homeless, the sick, the ones society rejects?
Do you see them as a gift, a face of Christ, or as a problem to be avoided?

What do you see in someone who is different from you?
In culture, language, politics, or belief?

And finally—perhaps the most important question:
What do you see when you look at yourself?
A gift, wonderfully made by God, or a mistake, a list of failures and flaws?

Photo: https://neurongarage.com/article/power-of-a-gift/

Dear friends,
each of us is invited to be a gift to others.
Not by doing great things, but by offering our presence, our smiles, even our tears.

We are called to recognize the gift in others—
In their efforts, their struggles, their kindness, even in their imperfections.

Because at the heart of our faith is this truth:
Jesus is the greatest gift.
He gave us himself—fully, freely, and forever.
He did not use people. He loved them.

So let us imitate Christ:
Be a gift to your family.
Be a gift to your friends.
Be a gift to the sick, the poor, the suffering.
And let us learn to see each person not as a problem to fix or a tool to use—
But as a gift to cherish, as Christ sees us.

With love,

Little-pencil