"The Cost of Free Gifts": A Reflection on The Second Reading for July 15th, 2018: Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ephesians 1:3-14

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. 5 He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 which he lavished upon us. 9 For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Recognizing a free gift can be challenging, especially when we’ve been receiving it for so long. This past weekend, I attended the Steubenville Atlantic conference in Halifax, and I spoke to a gentlemen who described some of the difficulties within his management role. He shared how, for many years, his work has given summer students free lunch vouchers, but it became financially unsustainable for them to continue feeding that many students for free. Over the last decade the number of students had increased from a dozen to over one hundred fifty. He was responsible for informing them of this news, and so, unfortunately, he was the one to receive angry responses and complaints. The students felt they were entitled to the free meals that everyone had previously received. They even rejected the gift of discounted lunches because they wanted things to return to how they were before. The man felt discouraged and confused, because he couldn’t fully understand their perspective and he couldn’t help them understand how the change was necessary and not unjust.

The spirit of entitlement is perhaps most prominent in our age, especially in North America, and we can contribute this to many root causes. Instead of listing reasons why we can sometimes find ourselves, or our peers, defending a deservedness of certain luxuries or benefits, let’s look at what can help shift our perspective. Above all else, what will help us most to combat entitlement is to grow in knowledge of the truth of who we are and who God is. In other words, we must ask for and foster a spirit of humility.

Humility enables us to see that everything is gift: the air we breathe; the food we eat; the warmth and light of the sun; our homes; our families; our neighbours; our bodies, our intellect, our hearts, our whole selves; and, our relationship with God. Everything has its origins in our Creator. God Himself is the giver of all gifts, and He gives all, freely, to His children. Even our identity as adopted sons and daughters of God is gift. Nothing that we have or are is deserved—apart from Him we are entitled to nothing.

Yet, we are not apart from Him. “He chose us in Christ”, and Christ unites us to the Father in the strongest of covenantal bonds. He blesses us, gives us purpose, delights in us, forgives us, and He gives us freedom, wisdom, salvation, and an inheritance. All these are free gifts—of greatest price, yet given without cost. They are what we are “entitled to”, in a sense, but only because He payed the ultimate price and bought them for us.

And none of these gifts can be taken away—God’s gifts are offered to every person and no other can deny one access to it. Not every gift can be constantly offered, and if we received everything we ever wanted we would surely develop a detrimental pride and miss the joy of receiving what is gift. But when we adopt a spirit of humility, we are given the freedom to be unbound by the emotions that distract us from what is important—the freedom to see that God wants to give us everything we need, and He is even so rich in generosity that He will also give us our deepest desires.

Let us pray: Holy Spirit, please help us have humble hearts and gratitude for every gift you’ve given. Amen.

Kendra Chisholm

"God Himself is the giver of all gifts, and He gives all, freely, to His children."
​- Kendra Chisholm (Ora Reflections)