There is a difference between giving someone an object and giving someone something that becomes part of a life. Most of us recognize the difference when we see it. The wrapping paper comes away. The box opens. The room grows quiet for a moment because what is inside means more than the thing itself. A grandmother gives her granddaughter a rosary. A father gives his son the medal of his Confirmation saint. A newly married couple unwraps a crucifix that will someday hang over the doorway of a...