This year, I was determined to finish my Christmas shopping before December. I made my list, checked it twice, and made a few returns and exchanges in the process. With most of my gifts wrapped and ready to go, I was then able to turn my attention more fully toward Our Lord during Advent.
All that remained were the few people on my list who didn’t want or need gifts. Thankfully, the Church helped me.
We all have those in our lives for whom gifts seems frivolous and unnecessary — those who have much, want little, or appreciate spiritual goods above material things. I have a few of these people in my life, and the Church offers a treasury of spiritual goods free of charge (but maybe with the suggestion of a small donation) from which we can choose to bless our loved ones this Christmas season (and other occasions throughout the year).
The Church implores us to pray for one another. Paragraph 2660 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully states: “Prayer in the events of each day and each moment is one of the secrets of the kingdom revealed to ‘little children,’ to the servants of Christ, to the poor of the Beatitudes. It is right and good to pray so that the coming of the kingdom of justice and peace may influence the march of history, but it is just as important to bring the help of prayer into humble, everyday situations; all forms of prayer can be the leaven to which the Lord compares the kingdom.”
With this invitation from the Church to pray with and for our family, friends, and neighbors, I offer you this simple spiritual gift guide.
1) Mass
One of the most beautiful ways we can honor those we love is by having Mass said for them and their intentions. The Mass is the greatest and most powerful prayer we have to offer, allowing Christ to be intimately present to us in the Eucharist. According to John Grondelski at Catholic Answers: “[If] we are looking for prayer to atone for sins, there can be no more perfect, no more absolute, no more complete prayer than Christ’s sacrifice, which is made present in the sacrifice of the Mass. When the priest offers Mass for a particular intention, be it for someone living or dead, Jesus’ perfect prayer of obedience is offered to God specifically out of our love for that particular person.”
2) Prayers of the Church — a spiritual bouquet
Another way to meet the spiritual needs of those we love is by offering up personal prayers for them and their intentions. These include Rosaries, chaplets of Divine Mercy, novenas, pre-written prayers like the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Memorare, and even sacrifices and sufferings. As a mom of littles, my friends have often offered up late-night nursing sessions, early wakings, and particularly hard days for my or other’s intentions — and these prayers are felt.
You can also gather these prayers, said by you or a community of people, and record them in some beautiful way to be given to the person in the form of a “spiritual bouquet.” I’ve seen people gather flowers and attach a prayer to each, make a picture frame with written prayers and paper flowers to be displayed in their home, or fill a jar with pieces of paper which list the prayers offered.
If you’re looking for ideas, simply pick up a book of prayers of the Church or search the internet for a list of possibilities.
3) Prayers of religious communities
This year, a friend gave me a great idea for another way to offer prayers for someone who doesn’t want physical gifts. She reminded me of the many contemplative religious communities in the country (and the world) who spend their days working and praying for the world’s intentions. These communities often welcome prayer requests, so I got to work mailing letters to many of them, asking for prayers for a person and their specific intentions. I even included a stamped envelope and asked if they would be willing to return a small note as a sign of their prayers. You can find addresses easily with a quick internet search.
4) Tithing and making donations in someone’s name
A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided to honor the spiritual needs of our godchildren by making donations in their name to organizations, ministries, and religious communities close to the hearts of their families. Not only was it a tangible way to show our prayers and love for them, but it also helped us to be generous with our end-of-the-year giving. This is a great gift idea for a friend or family member as a way to heap graces upon them.
Whether these prayerful options are added to a simple gift or given in and of themselves, they help us remember that the most loving thing we can do is to entrust those in our care to the Father.
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