THE GIFT SHOP

There is a small gift shop, just off Main Street – in this narrow way.

You walk in and you start looking at the different gifts. You spot a gift. It intrigues you. You pick it up – look at it – but then you see the price tag. It’s too, too expensive.

You pick up another gift. It also looks interesting and good, but when you read the writing on the side, you go, “No! Too difficult.” Then you add, “Too expensive.”

You walk around the store looking at everything. You keep checking the different gifts – but you don’t buy anything. You end up walking out of The Gift Show without buying a gift.

You feel a tinge of sadness mixed with inadequacy in that place these feelings show up just below the Adam’s apple in your neck – with some similar bits and pieces of these feelings in your rib cage area.

You walk back up to Main Street where there are a lot more people and a lot more stores.

You see this one store. You’re tempted to go in. You feel an, “Uh oh!” – but you go in anyway. You look at what they have to sell and you start checking out the different items.

You pick up “Gossip!” You look at it very carefully. You say to yourself, “Maybe!” You think, “Well, I already have some of this!” Then you remember a comment someone made about someone the other day, “She’s such a gossip!” At that you put “Gossip” back in its place. You don’t want to be labeled, “A gossip!”

You pick up “Resentment!” Once more you say, “Well, I already have some resentments!” You put it back quickly saying, “Enough of that. Resentments can have a boomerang effect.”

You pick up “Envy!” It’s an ugly green color – and it doesn’t look like something someone would buy. You think, “Why would they think anyone would buy envy?”

You put it down quickly and pick up “Jealousy” which is right next to Envy. It’s a better color – a bright red. You find yourself trying to remember a question someone asked someone at lunch about two months ago – when they were trying to figure out the difference between jealousy and envy. You think the answer was, “Jealousy is worry about losing what your have and envy is wanting what someone else has.” You say to yourself, “I have to admit I have more envy than jealousy in me” and you then you put “Jealousy” back in its place.

You walk out of the store – once more with nothing. And once more you are feeling kind of crusty. You say, “Ugh” to yourself and then add, “I really don’t want any more of those things – but it looks like they sell more of these negative kinds of things on Main Street compared to what they are selling in The Gift Shop.

“The Gift Shop!” You say that out loud as you are walking down Main Street. Someone overhears you and gives you a puzzled face. You turn red a bit – and then turn around and head back towards The Gift Shop.

You turn off Main Street – onto this side street – up this narrow way.

Once more you walk into The Gift Shop and look around.

You pick up a gift called, “Respect!” You think to yourself, “Yeah, I would like to have the ability to show more respect to everyone.” You read the writing on the side of package. You whisper to yourself, “Pretty difficult. Pretty expensive.” You put it back on the shelf and walk deeper into the store.

You pick up “Compassion!” You think, “Now that’s a gift I really need. At times I don’t seem to have any compassion for my Uncle Frank who has been out of work for 4 months now. You remember saying behind his back with a few other members of the family, “Why doesn’t he just get up off his butt and take any job.” Or so and so was really looking forward to this lacrosse season and he ripped his knee and he’s already out for the season – and you realize you never showed him an ounce of compassion.

You put “Compassion” down and pick up “Understanding.” You read on the side of the gift that Solomon was asked by God to pick one gift and he chose the gift of understanding. And it really made an enormous difference in his life as a king. But you also read its implications – that you have to understand that old people are much slower and parents have to play the “Good Cop Bad Cop Game” in order to be good parents and you go, “No!” You put “Understanding” down. It too is too expensive.

You walk around and you spot “Chastity”. You notice it's also labeled “Purity”. “Uum,” you think. “Not that popular a gift among the young.” You smile because it has on the side of the package, “When Saint Augustine before his conversation was challenged with this he said, “Lord, give me chastity, but not yet.” So like lots of people, he put it off till he was older.

Then you come to a shelf where you notice the gift of “Forgiveness.” You think, “This might be just what I need to walk out of this store with. Forgiveness.” You read some of the endorsements on the side of the package. “Tough stuff.” You read that it means not only forgiving God and others, but also forgiving yourself. You think back to that teacher you had in elementary school – who flunked you – and you talked bad talk about her to everyone you met – how she was playing favorites – how she was out to get you – and down deep you knew she was right. You hadn’t studied. Then there was the coach who didn’t put you on the team – and déjà vu, you attacked him as well.

“It’s Lent!” you say to yourself. “Why not try forgiveness for Lent? It’s almost half over. Why not?” So you take the gift of Forgiveness – especially because you also read on the side of the package that Jesus said, “I come with the package! I’m with your all days.” You laugh picturing Jesus like the Verizon Guy on TV who says he comes with the package along with all kinds of backup people. “Yeah,” you think. “I know several people who are really forgiving.”

And you walk out of The Gift Shop – with gift in hand – and you feel a spring in your step and a “Yes!” in your voice.

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I gave this as a homily for our St. Mary’s High School students on the 3rd Tuesday of Lent, 2009. The gospel contains the story in Matthew about Peter coming up to Jesus and asking, “Lord, when my brother wrongs me, how often must I forgive him? Is seven times enough?” Jesus says, “Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times.” Then Jesus tells the parable of the person who was forgiven a huge debt – but wouldn’t go out and forgive someone who owed him a tiny amount of money compared to what he had owed the man who forgave him. (Cf. Matthew 18: 21-35.)

© Andy Costello, Homily Reflections, 2009