December 22, 2025 – Seventh Day of Misa de Aguinaldo
Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122225.cfm)
Every Filipino knows the joy of giving gifts. When Christmas comes, even if money is tight, we try our best to prepare something like food on the table, a small present wrapped with care, an envelope with a cash, or even just our presence. We say, “Importante ang paghinumdum.” Indeed, what matters is that we remembered and we are being remembered.
In our culture, we realize that giving is never just about the price of the gift. It is about the heart behind it. It is about gratitude, relationship, and love.
Today, on the 7th Day of Misa de Aguinaldo, the readings invite us to look deeper into this familiar act of giving. They ask us two important questions. First, when God gives us a gift, how do we respond? Second, do we simply receive, or do we also learn how to return the gift to Him?
In the first reading, we have the story of Hannah. For a long time, she carried a deep pain. She could not bear a child, and again in her culture, that was a heavy burden. But Hannah did not harden her heart. She brought her longing to God. And God heard her cry. God gave her a son, Samuel.
Now here is the surprising part. When Samuel was still very young, Hannah brought him to the temple and said, “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my request. Therefore, I give him back to the Lord.” Imagine that moment. A mother finally receives the gift she waited for, and instead of holding on tightly, she offers him back to God. This is not easy. This is not ordinary giving. This is a heart that truly understands where the gift came from.
Through the gift of Samuel to Hannah, she realized how faithful God is to her. Through this gift, she also realized the other gift she received, through her friendship with Prophet Eli. The presence of Eli to Hannah was a reminder that there was hope. That friendship, made Hannah to be comforted when she was humiliated. Eli was Hannah’s prayer warrior. This made Hannah to be ever grateful to God.
Hannah taught us something important. Gratitude is not only saying “thank you.” Gratitude is trusting God enough to offer back what we treasure most. Hannah did not lose her son. Instead, she placed him in God’s hands. And because of that, Samuel’s life became a blessing not only for her, but for the whole people of Israel.
This is capture through Hannah’s song in the responsorial psalm. Her words were full of praise, not because her life became perfect, but because she experienced who God truly is. She proclaimed that God raises the poor, lifts the lowly, and gives hope to the weak. Hannah realized that God is a God who reverses situations, who sees the forgotten, and who gives dignity to those being pushed aside.
Moreover, the Gospel of Luke brought us into the heart of another woman, Mary. Though that joyful heart, Mary sang. This is Mary’s Magnificat. Like Hannah, Mary is a woman who received a gift she did not earn and did not fully understand. Yet, God chose her, a simple young woman from Nazareth, to carry His Son. And Mary responds not with fear or pride, but with praise, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
Mary’s Magnificat tells us who God is and what God does. God looks upon the lowliness of His servant. God scatters the proud, lifts up the humble, fills the hungry with good things. Mary recognizes that her life has become a place where God’s wonders are revealed. She does not claim the glory for herself. She points everything back to God. That is why she says, “All generations will call me blessed.” Not because she is great on her own, but because God has done great things in her.
Here, we see the heart of today’s message. God’s gifts are never meant to end with us. They are meant to flow through us. Hannah received a son and returned him to God’s service. Mary received Christ and offered her whole life so that God’s salvation could reach the world. Both women show us the same truth that when God gives, He invites us to become part of His work.
This speaks deeply to us as Filipinos during Christmas. We receive many gifts, not only material ones, but gifts of life, family, work, education, second chances, healing, and hope after many trials. We have survived storms, sickness, loss, and hardship. Here in Marawi, you have lived out the horror of terrorism during the siege and the bombing. The fact that we are here today is already a gift. The question is: What do we do with what we have received?
Sometimes we hold on too tightly. We say, “This is mine. I earned this. I deserve this.” However, today’s Misa de Aguinaldo gently reminds us that everything we have is first a gift from God. And the greatest joy comes not from keeping, but from offering. Yet, not as a mere obligation but through a heart filled with gratitude.
This is how Mary shows us the way. She did not know all the answers. She did not have a detailed plan. But she trusted that God could do wonders through her simple yes. Because of that, God entered human history and salvation became close to us.
As Christmas draws nearer, the Church invites us to reflect not only on what we will receive, but on what we are willing to give back. Not just gifts under the tree, but gifts of time, forgiveness, attention, and compassion. In a world tired of noise, anger, and division, these are powerful offerings.
Today, let us remember this that God’s greatest gifts are meant to be returned through a grateful and generous life. Like Hannah and Mary, may we learn to say, “Lord, everything I have comes from You. Use it for Your greater purpose.”
I leave you now with two simple takeaways.
First, offer one concrete gift of yourself this Christmas season. It may be your time to listen, your skills to serve, or your presence to someone who feels forgotten. Choose one act and do it with love.
Second, learn to recognize God’s blessings in your ordinary life. Each day even when it is not Christmas, name one gift you have received and ask yourself how it can become a blessing for others.
May Mary, the woman who carried God’s greatest gift, teach us how to receive with humility and give with joy. Hinaut pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 
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