Preparing Ourselves as Gifts for the Lord

Advent 2025

Brothers and sisters,

How are you at giving gifts? When you’re preparing a gift for someone, how do you go about finding the right one?

Admittedly, I’m not always great at it. Sometimes I find something that would make a perfect gift and buy it on the spot, even without knowing yet who it’s for. Other times, I know exactly who should receive it but wait for just the right moment. And yes, there are times when I’m simply out of time and reach for a gift card.

But whether we plan carefully or scramble at the last minute, gift-giving reveals something deeper: our struggle to truly know the heart of another. We guess, we hope, we sometimes miss the mark entirely.

God, on the other hand, always gives the perfect gifts. Rarely does He give us material wealth or something prized by the world. His gifts are personal, intimate, and perfectly suited to us. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul recognizes one such gift—the grace of apostleship—saying:

“Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith…”

The call to be sent in his name is universal; where and to whom He sends us is unique.

The Prophet Isaiah foretold the gifts first and foremost bestowed upon the Messiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.”

These same gifts of the Spirit are shared with us—especially in the Sacrament of Confirmation. We are blessed that so many in our parish are preparing to receive this sacrament in the months ahead. What God gives, He gives completely.

But here lies the invitation of Advent: We, too, are called to give—in imitation of our generous God. Giving to the parish and to the needs of the poor are clear expectations of discipleship. The more personal and intentional our giving, the better. But what do we give to a God who needs nothing from us? What gift could possibly be worthy?

The answer is ourselves.

This Advent, as you prepare gifts for loved ones and friends, go further.

Beyond giving to the parish or to charity, spend time in prayer asking:

How am I preparing myself as a gift for the Lord?

The Mass itself shows us how to do this. At every Mass, we witness the pattern of transformation—how ordinary gifts become extraordinary, how bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. And we are invited into that same transformation.

During the four Sundays of Advent, we’ll reflect together on this movement of the liturgy and how it prepares us to become gifts worthy of the Lord:

Receive, Consecrate, Offer, and Consume.

• Receive. The priest receives the gifts from the faithful at the offertory, yet in truly receiving them, he acknowledges that all we have first comes from the Lord. We, too, must begin by receiving—recognizing that even our capacity to give comes from God’s generosity.
• Consecrate. These same gifts, set aside for worship, are consecrated as the priest, acting in persona Christi, speaks the very words of Jesus. We, too, must be set apart—allowing God to make us holy, to claim us as His own.
• Offer. Consecrated for his purpose and transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, we then offer the Eucharist to the Father—the most perfect gift possible:
  “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever. Amen.”
  We, too, offer ourselves—not in isolation, but united with Christ’s perfect self-offering.
• Consume. And this is where God’s generosity overflows. The act of giving does not end with our offering. Instead, God responds by sharing the gift with us, inviting us to receive what we have offered. We give to the Lord by preparing ourselves to receive him. And when we consume the Body and Blood of Christ, we become Christ—and in becoming Christ, we become the perfect gift to the Father.

This is the pattern of Advent: We prepare ourselves to be received by God, consecrated by God, offered with Christ, and transformed in the giving.

So let us prepare our very selves for the Lord this Advent—not wrapped in paper, ribbons, or bows, but clothed in his life and grace. Let us bring our small gifts—our prayers, penances, sacrifices, and acts of charity—and allow the Lord to make them his own. Let us become the gift we were created to be.

In the Lord,
Rev. Michael S. Triplett