I can still remember the excitement in our large household at the arrival of the winter edition of the mighty Sears Roebuck Christmas Catalog. Crowded with just about anything your heart could desire, our catalog became jammed with tiny alphabet letters indicating to Santa which prize was wanted by which child.  

My poor (literally) parents! How to decide on which special gift to give or just ignore that catalog. My siblings and I would spend hours pouring over that advertisement miracle. We would spend most of the time in the toy section, looking at the dolls, the toy kitchens and special gimmicks for that year. We would show the little boys the trucks and shovels and soldiers and guns. We were kids in the 50’s.  

During my tomboy stage, I marked almost every piece of football equipment that I was sure would make me as good as the boys at tackle and passing. When my mother noticed these wishes, she gently told me that these gifts would never appear for me and why. I trusted and loved my mother so much that I never questioned her wisdom in certain areas.  

Now, lest you think that we were a bunch of little heathens, we did know about Jesus and His love for us. We prayed “Good Night, Sweet Jesus” every night before bed with Mom. We attended mass every Sunday morning, usually at 6:30 AM-all of us. We went to the parish school and had catechism lessons every day.   

However, we did not have the knowledge that comes from experiencing the action of Christ in our lives. We were not aware that we already had the greatest gift that could be given. We are the children of God. We have the purposeful sacrifice of Jesus Christ to redeem us from everlasting death. We have the unwavering support of God, who loves us, each and every one of us, unconditionally forever. We do. 

How about you?  Are you aware that you have already been given the greatest gift that you could ever receive? Thankfully, we do not need a Sears Roebuck Catalog. And it’s a good thing, because they are no more. You need not worry about God going out of business. Amen! 

Terri