The Law of the Gift
Faith Perspectives
Pope Saint John Paul II said, “A person cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.” As we continue to trek deeper into the world of AI, social media, and polarizing ideologies of the secular age, it seems that more and more people are having a hard time understanding the world around them and their own selfidentity. What once was clear has now become blurry. This theme of gift and giving ourselves to another, St. John Paul II calls the “law of the gift.” The law of the gift is essentially recognizing that our fulfillment and satisfaction in this life does not come from acquiring things, but instead by giving oneself to others; firstly to God and then to those around us.
Though this law of the gift is written on the human heart, it seems more and more that our society is turning inward towards selfishness and selfcenteredness. To help us further understand the law of the gift, St. John Paul II said there are concrete examples of this self-gift that we can see clearly in our world today. Firstly, he speaks of a husband and wife giving themselves totally to the other in marriage. In sickness and in health, through good times and in bad, the couple continues to give themselves to their beloved until death do they part. Especially when trials come and the romantic feelings seem to fade, how much more must self-gift be on the heart and mind of all husbands and wives, so that they may endure the cross that comes with being a disciple of Jesus Christ while living in the hope of the resurrection.
Another concrete example of self-gift is through a religious vocation as a priest or religious sister or nun. I was recently talking to a religious sister in which we both agreed that the Navy SEALs of the Church today are the women who give up their entire lives in the hidden, cloistered convents across the world. These women are so aware and sure of the love that Jesus, the bridegroom, has for them, that they give up their worldly life and dedicate themselves to intimate prayer and fasting for the salvation of the world. They begin living Heaven here on earth. All of this done in the hidden life behind the walls of a cloistered convent. These heroic women, invited by God into such a special vocation, don’t have flashy social media and in the eyes of the world some might think they are wasting their life, but with the eyes of faith, these women are the heartbeat of building up the kingdom of God on earth through their radical self-gift. I envy the true freedom and intimate communion with God that these heroic women truly possess.
When we think of self-gift, I heard the question posed recently, “What attracted people most to Jesus?” Some might say it was his miracles, his preaching, his wisdom, or maybe his poverty. But what attracted people most to Jesus, was that every single act and thought of his was self-gift. Every ounce of Jesus was about glorifying the Father and about the salvation of souls. If the human heart is created to be given away, then when we see such a perfect example of self-gift through Jesus and later his disciples imitating him, it causes the human heart to surge for what it was truly created for.
Ultimately, Jesus shows us the true and perfect gift of self, by offering himself freely as a living sacrifice on the cross. As we reflect on such a self-gift we look again to whom the gift was oriented; a loving gift to the Father and for the salvation of souls. Jesus teaches us that selfgift requires sacrifice, it requires putting God and others before ourselves, it requires killing our ego that wants the “I” to become a god. In a world that continues to be consumed by selfishness, self-pleasure, and self-centeredness, how is God calling each one of us to look upwards and outwards as a way to give of ourselves as gift? For it is only when I see myself as gift, that I am then able to live as God made me to live, that I am able to truly be free, and that I am able to truly love.
If you would like to read more on Pope Saint John Paul II’s “law of the gift,” he has an amazing short reflection you can find on Google called “Meditation on Givenness” that would be a great resource to bring to prayer for any individual, but especially for husbands/wives and for young people searching for purpose and fulfillment.