Because Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birthday, we should be thinking of what to give Him for a birthday and Christmas present. Since "the Lord's are the earth and its fullness" (Ps 24:1), the Lord has almost everything. Therefore, it is difficult to give Him a present. However, we can give Him our lives, wills, days, future, and love. Like Hannah, we can also give our children to Jesus.

Hannah presented Samuel to the Lord forty days after his birth. Later, when Samuel was three years old, Hannah presented him a second time. By this second presentation, Samuel was given as a minister to the Lord in the Temple (1 Sm 3:1).

Parents, seek God's will about giving your children to the service of the Lord as priests and religious. If you believe the Lord wants your child to become a priest or religious, present your child to the Lord in this way after Communion at one of the Masses of the Christmas season. It remains for your child to accept this vocation, but, by your prayer of presentation, you have opened much wider the door to a priestly or religious vocation for them. You have given God, the Church, your child, and yourself a wondrous Christmas gift.

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 28, 2010

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