THE ULTIMATE GIVER

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Have you ever heard of Monito Monita? It is a traditional game in the Philippines particularly in December approaching Christmas where a group of individuals (friends, classmates, office-mates, etc) agree to give gifts anonymously with each other. Usually, it starts with writing down in a piece of paper each others name, roll it and put in a small box. Each takes turn to pick out a piece of rolled paper in the box. The name in the paper each has picked out is its monito/monita. The simple rule is that no one has to let each other know who the giver is until the revelation day ideally on Christmas day. In the game they will give their monitas/monitas gifts everyday with an agreed price range. There will be different theme in each day of giving such as giving, something soft, something sweet, something long and hard, something green or blue, something round, something you make /cook /bake, something pink, something useful, something wet, something made of wood/fabric, something you can wear in your head, something made of glass, something with a handle, something sour, something that grows and so on. There may be a day that you miss out giving. You may give the missed out gift in the next day together with the gift meant for that day. It is not a good practice to miss out many days and then give the accumulated gifts in a day which makes your monito/monita wondering that he/she has been neglected or has been had. It is a fun game. It is a chance for bonding between the giver and the receiver especially when exchanging small notes to read attached to the gifts.


I wonder if there is such a game when one has received a gift from someone who remains anonymous. Or is there a game where the giver gives all he/she got and consider it a great joy? I haven't heard of one or with similar nature. But I have heard it as an act of kindness preached and lived by the Wise Man in the Bible. He set the poor widow as an example who gave all she had to live on which was a greater sacrifice than the gifts out of the wealth of the wealthy men combined. He looked not at the outward actions, but at the heart. The recipient has received and the giver with the true heart is transformed.


Bill and Melinda Gates established a program encouraging billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to charity. And so some of the billionaires joined them in this great act. That is a huge gesture of kindness in the eyes of the many. I admire what they have done. No doubt. Would it be more virtuous if the gesture has not put into media for everybody to know? Jesus has told that when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets just like the hypocrites do in the synanoge and be honored by anyone to see. There is an essence why Jesus wants it that way. There is a spiritual transforming experience out of it. When the recipients wouldn't know whom on earth to thank for, they directly attribute the blessing to the one above. Blessing from above. Everything we have is blessing from above. And so when we give, you give a blessing that it is coming from above. The anonymous giver has just eliminate himself or herself in the equation and direct all the attribute to the ultimate giver.

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