2008 Woodie Awards
God's Everlasting Christmas Present
Dana Mannino
Issue date: 12/1/07 Section: Faith
Christmas presents. It's really hard to separate those two words. Don't worry; this article isn't a guilt trip about hyper consumerism in America. In fact, I would argue that the words 'Christmas' and 'present' were meant to go together from the start. On Christmas we celebrate the greatest gift God could ever have given us: His love incarnate. Imagine looking at a real live human being who actually WAS love. Imagine Love looking back at you through a pair of human eyes. I've often wondered how people were able to look Jesus in the eyes. It must have been an immensely powerful experience of love.
It's been about 2000 years since humanity first opened this Christmas present from God. Jesus is no longer physically present among us as a man. Yet we know that God's ultimate gift wasn't just for people living in first century Israel; it is for us too. We too can experience God's love intimately, personally, and powerfully, just like those lucky people who lived in the first century. Jesus established the Church as his physical presence on earth. He left it to us as a means to experience His love. God's incredible love calls individuals to His Church where they can live in full communion with that love. Every conversion or reconversion story is marked by a very tangible outpouring of God's powerful love, the same personal love that radiated from Christ's physical eyes when he walked this earth. This month the Witness brings you two stories of God's great gift of love in the lives of two Gonzaga students.
Brandon Garnreiter is a freshman from Arizona majoring is psychology. He turned away from his faith after a harrowing year of personal and family tragedies, but came back after a powerful and intimate experience of God's love for him.
Phil (anonymity granted at the student's request) is a first year graduate student. He was raised in the rich tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church. As Phil reached adulthood he started making choices that distanced him from his faith. He calls his return to God and his subsequent conversion to the Roman Catholic Faith "one of God's great love stories."
It's been about 2000 years since humanity first opened this Christmas present from God. Jesus is no longer physically present among us as a man. Yet we know that God's ultimate gift wasn't just for people living in first century Israel; it is for us too. We too can experience God's love intimately, personally, and powerfully, just like those lucky people who lived in the first century. Jesus established the Church as his physical presence on earth. He left it to us as a means to experience His love. God's incredible love calls individuals to His Church where they can live in full communion with that love. Every conversion or reconversion story is marked by a very tangible outpouring of God's powerful love, the same personal love that radiated from Christ's physical eyes when he walked this earth. This month the Witness brings you two stories of God's great gift of love in the lives of two Gonzaga students.
Brandon Garnreiter is a freshman from Arizona majoring is psychology. He turned away from his faith after a harrowing year of personal and family tragedies, but came back after a powerful and intimate experience of God's love for him.
Phil (anonymity granted at the student's request) is a first year graduate student. He was raised in the rich tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church. As Phil reached adulthood he started making choices that distanced him from his faith. He calls his return to God and his subsequent conversion to the Roman Catholic Faith "one of God's great love stories."
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