"Present for Parent #1, check!, Present for Parent #2, check! Present for Sibling, Present for Child, Present for friend, check, check check!"

This is a busy time of year, and many people about, buying gifts as they check off their lists. "Present for Parent #1, check!, Present for Parent #2, check! Present for Sibling, Present for Child, Present for friend, check, check check!" We lull ourselves into believing that buying presents once or twice, even three times a year is what constitutes a good relationship. "I remembered Christmas, birthday, Mother/Father's Day, etc, so I am a good son/daughter/husband/wife/sibling/friend."

Presents, while nice, do not make a meaningful relationship. Personal involvement in the relationship is what makes it worthwhile; talking, caring, visiting, sharing. Just as a Christian cannot expect their relationship to God to thrive without regular times of prayer and communion, neither can anyone expect the relationships in their lives to flourish without regular doses of good communication (where people actually talk AND listen to one another.)

So in this Advent season, as you shop and hurry around, slow down and take time to call someone you love. Maybe someone you haven't seen in a while, but who is dear to you. Or stop in and visit your parents, siblings or close friends. Share memories and make new ones together. They'll remember the time you put into the relationship far more and far longer than they'll remember the gift.

God's grace be with you,
Fr. Charles Butler