A few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a good friend. We were discussing gift-giving, always an interesting topic to ponder this time of year. Specifically, we were discussing a shoebox gift program called Box of Joy.
Our conversation gave me many points to consider in my prayer and meditation over the following weeks. Why a Box of Joy? Why give a gift of a toy to a stranger in another country? Why not use those funds to donate to a local charity? Or if led to address the needs of the poor in another country, why a toy? Why not a clean water project, or education? Does donating to a program such as Box of Joy spread a secular ideal of Christmas? Does it diminish the true meaning of Christmas?
Well, let’s pack a box and see, I thought.
I spent several weeks considering the types of things I might assemble. Should I pick a girl or a boy? What age group? If I came across something that I thought would be good in the box I set it aside. And as I did, I’d think of that unknown child. Isn’t that a little like a prayer? As the weeks passed, I had a nice stack of things: books, rosaries, holy cards, toys, notepads, even nice plastic shoe box containers, a good start. Soon it was time to pack, so I headed to the store to fill in the gaps. I took my daughter and a friend to help. We started with an outfit. A T-shirt and leggings for a toddler. We couldn’t decide which to get, so we bought two! “Oh goodness, we shouldn’t leave the boys out,” I thought, so we picked out a boy outfit, too. And shoes, they could surely use shoes. Oh, and some fresh crayons to go with the notepads. “Honey, go pick out a ball for the boy. Make sure it will fit in the box! And let’s be practical and get some toothbrushes.” All the while, I was smiling and thinking about our unknown child (children now!). Again, isn’t that a little like a prayer?
After we got it all home, I spent another hour, putting the boxes together. Sorting and dividing the erasers and pencils and crayons and stickers and Slinkys. Folding the clothes. Arranging them nicely in the plastic bins. Placing a children’s holy card on the top of each one. Making sure that they close properly. I labeled them, added the funds for mailing, and secured them with rubber bands. All the while, I was still smiling and thinking about these children, a little prayer.
So weeks of planning and hours of shopping and assembly later, I have a Box of Joy (well, three!) ready to be shipped. Who has the joy? Well right now, I do. But I pray that the items I’ve selected will bring joy to their recipients. I hope they enjoy playing with the ball or the doll, that the clothes fit, and the shoes are serviceable. But that isn’t really the point. My gift isn’t the shoes, the clothes or the toys. In all the planning, shopping, packaging and praying, what I am really giving is a box of me.
And that was my epiphany. That is what Jesus does for me. He gives me Himself. Unfathomable, and yet so simple really.
So, back to the box. In it, I’ve freely given a gift of myself with no expectation of anything in return. And that is what He wants of me, a free gift of myself to Him, in everything. My pastor advised me years ago that in seeking God’s will, I should do the little things that He places right in front of me. This was one of those little things. I joyfully await to see what He puts in my path next.
Kristen Levine lives in Gastonia.
In his final opinion column appearing in the Nov. 10 issue of the News Herald, Deacon James Toner writes about reconsidering his longtime position against the death penalty, citing authors who have convinced him that executing a person convicted of capital crime, whether guilty or not, “...plays a vital role in upholding human dignity and promoting a culture of life.” This view, anchored in society’s traditional clamor for revenge and execution, has been argued as the only way to keep the public safe.
Toner: Column conclusions and a farewell
Thank goodness our Church is an evolving Christian community. It’s modern popes, bishops and advocates for Catholic social teaching who recognize that today’s prisons can hold convicted murderers for life.
Twelve years ago, the dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh spoke forcefully against the use of the death penalty in North Carolina. Our bishops called for a two-year moratorium on executions so as to study the arbitrary and unfair nature of who gets death and who does not. The moratorium continues to this day.
In his May 3, 2005, letter to the faithful the Diocese of Charlotte, Bishop Peter Jugis wrote, “The Church’s teaching on the death penalty is based on the principle that all human life is sacred, made in the image and likeness of God. If the innocent of society can be protected from aggressors with non-lethal means, then indeed, such means are preferable to the use of lethal force. Modern society has the resources to separate the violent offender from society and protect the innocent, a choice that also gives the violent offender the opportunity to reflect on wrongdoings and seek a path to redemption.”
Since these remarks, support for the death penalty and across the nation continues to drop. People have become educated on the uneven and costly application of the death penalty. One aspect not addressed in Deacon Toner’s commentary concerns a built-in racial bias in the state’s judicial system. Two prominent studies from Michigan State University have concluded that those who kill a white person are 2.6 times more likely to be executed than those who kill a black person.
Capital punishment is a pro-life issue. It is a controversial one with many sides. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has established the Catholic Mobilizing Network for Catholics to learn more about the death penalty and restorative justice. Visit www.catholicsmobilizing.org or call 202-541-5290.
George Burazer lives in Charlotte.