11th Sunday of the year Year A

It was a simple conversation in the kitchen of a warm family. "Share this apple with overflowing love," the mother told her younger son. "What do you mean, share with overflowing love?" the younger son asked. "Share this apple, and give the largest piece to your older brother," the mother explained. The younger son disobeyed his mother's instructions and did something outrageous. He took the apple and said to his older brother, "Brother, please share this apple with overflowing love."

This conversation teaches us about the importance of giving. Even though the younger son didn't listen to his mother's instructions, he fully understood the importance of giving. His only flaw was his refusal to give his older brother the largest piece of the apple. The older brother not only understood the importance of giving, but also how that importance reaches others.

We can learn about the importance of giving from the great, often little-known, customs of farmers in our daily lives. They believe that "if you give the earth good seeds, the earth will yield many times over those seeds." Farmers save the best seeds at harvest time and carefully store them until the next planting season. Even in times of severe famine in their region, they never use those seeds as food.

You receive because you give. If you want to receive, you must first give. Farmers seem to understand the importance of this proactivity as a natural law. Moreover, they believe that giving selflessly, without expecting anything in return, rather than as an exchange, is the highest virtue.

"Freely you received,
freely give,"
it says in today's Gospel.

The most precious thing we received free of charge is "children." Therefore, children are a gift from God. God gave them to us to provide a loving place where they can grow, gaining freedom of mind and body. Children are like strangers. They seek hospitality, become good friends, and then depart to continue their own journeys. Because it is truly a gift, it brings immeasurable joy and boundless sorrow.
A good gift, as the proverb says, is "given twice." We must give back the gift we have received. When children leave home to study, to find work, to get married, to join an organization, or simply to become independent, sorrow and joy come together.
We are deeply reminded that our children are not truly ours, but have been given to us to be a true gift to others.
Children belong to God. Therefore, one of the greatest acts of trusting in God is to leave them to their own choices and allow them to find their own path. The role of "parents" and "educators" is simply to show children the path they should follow and to continue to inspire and offer them possibilities. Whether or not they choose that path is up to them.
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According to legend, eagles destroy their nests before giving their chicks rigorous training. Afterward, the mother takes her chicks to a high, rocky area and drops them from there. While this might seem like a harsh, unloving mother, she is actually trying to provide her children with a solid foundation. After rigorous training, the eagle chicks become strong, resilient, and capable of soaring high and freely. The mother eagle is trying to make her children aware that there is not only a whip, but also an apple at the end of the whip.

The sole purpose of destroying their familiar nest is to give their children "freedom" and "potential," and to enable them to create their own lives.

In every country, what children will always remember in their lives is not the words, but the silence that supported them. They didn't need to do anything grand, but simply be there for them during difficult times. Not the smiles, but the hands that wiped away their tears. Not blaming themselves for their weaknesses. Ultimately, what remains in the children's hearts is only the kindness they experienced.

Parents protect their families. Children paint their own lives by watching their parents' backs. A mother remains beautiful even in old age because she continues to give something to her children. It is fathers who reveal the hidden truth that "giving is happiness."
Let us embark on this week's journey with Jesus' teaching in mind: "Freely you received,
freely you must give."