A couple of weeks ago, my youngest brother sent out an email to my entire immediate family requesting that we start our annual Google Doc of Christmas lists. Thus began my favorite time of the year. This isn’t only because I like reading my brothers’ teasing comments on other family member’s lists or because my dream of finally getting those VS leggings that are too expensive to buy myself is one step closer to becoming a reality. It’s more about the fact that I get to try my hand at giving.
Giving has become one of my favorite pastimes, stemming from my years of volunteering with the local St. Vincent de Paul Society. I started in third grade and I just couldn’t stop. My passion for giving has led me to apply for an SSLP next summer, a program that I highly recommend. Once you start giving, you just want to keep doing it.
If you take time to sit back and observe our culture, you will be greeted by a lot of selfishness. There is a general attitude that no one else’s time is as important as yours and consequently many people feel that they shouldn’t be bothered to give of themselves. I think that this right here is the root of the problem: giving is seen as a bother, a chore that people would rather go without completing. If we can transform our mindset into one that views self-gift as a blessing or as a way to better ourselves, we will have fixed the problem of selfishness.
One of my best friends was having a rough couple weeks, so two other girls and I ordered her a bouquet of flowers and had them delivered to her dorm.
When I say “self-gift,” I could be referring to a number of things. It could be a sacrifice of time while you volunteer around the holidays. It could be cleaning out your closet and donating clothes to a thrift store. It could be a financial gift to your Church. It could even be putting a little extra thought into the Christmas gifts that you give to your family and friends this year.
Regardless of how you choose to give, the only thing that matters is that you’re doing it. One small sacrifice can make an immeasurable difference in a person’s life. How many times have we heard that a stranger smiling at someone on the quad made their terrible day a little brighter? You never know how your actions can impact a person.
Giving is especially relevant at this time of year because we are approaching Christmas, the birth of the man who made the ultimate sacrifice. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is an event that should put our lives into perspective – He was willing to die for millions of people He never knew during his earthly life, yet we can’t be bothered sometimes to spend an hour of our week in Church or sacrifice a weekend morning to volunteer in our community. The spirit of Advent is one of giving, and as Notre Dame students we are in an excellent position to make a change in countless people’s lives. We have the resources, know-how, time and skills to make our community a better place.
This Christmas season, I challenge campus to give. Whether it falls into any of the categories I mentioned above or whether you think outside the box, there’s no time like the present to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
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