God's Gifts

At the heart of all religious traditions is the conviction that peace itself is a gift from God, yet it cannot be achieved without human endeavor. Lasting peace flows from the recognition that the world is ultimately not our own, but rather the horizon within which we are invited to participate in God’s love and cooperate in guiding the world and history under his inspiration. We cannot do whatever we please with the world; rather, we are called to conform our choices to the subtle yet nonetheless perceptible laws inscribed by the Creator upon the universe and pattern our actions after the divine goodness that pervades the created realm. ~Pope Benedict XVI, Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth, 5/14/09

Both peace and the world are God's gifts to us. We become responsible for the gifts we are given, and one day we will have to render an account to the Father of lights, from whom all good giving and every perfect gift comes (James 1:17). He gives us His gifts not for ourselves and for our own needs and desires but for His divine purposes, for the building up of His Kingdom, for the good of all our brothers and sisters. So I must ask myself, frequently and seriously: what am I doing with God's gifts to me -- hoarding them like a miser, wasting them like a sloth, or giving them away freely like a spendthrift in love?