33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, is the next to last Sunday in our liturgical year.  Next Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and the following Sunday, November 22, we begin the season of Advent and a new liturgical year.  Our readings for today and for next Sunday focus on the end of time, our accountability to God and God’s judgment of us.  They challenge us to stop and reflect on where we are in our journey towards the Kingdom of Heaven.  In his 1^st Letter to the Thessalonians 5:1–6, our second reading today, St. Paul reminds us “the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.” And, that we need to “stay alert and sober.”  We do not know when the Lord is returning, but we had better be ready. 

The gospel today, Matthew 25:14–30, is the Parable of the Talents.  It is tempting to over simplify this parable by emphasizing the Master’s expectation that we will invest his money wisely. This isn’t a parable about financial management; it is a parable about life management. It is about using our God given resources wisely but there is more. It is about trying.  It is about the effort we make to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven.  It is about courage and risk taking. Getting ourselves into the Kingdom of Heaven is not a contest. But God does expect us to use all the gifts we are given, to nurture them, to spread them around and ultimately, to share the Master’s joy.   

Most of us have heard the expression “use it or lose it.”  The lazy servant lost everything because he was afraid.  He buried his talent rather than risk losing it. He would have been better off giving it away. What Jesus was telling the disciples, the scribes and the Pharisees and what he is telling us is to be bold.  He is telling us to take even the most meager gift and work with it. Consider this; In the course of its life one small acorn has the potential to produce thousands of oak trees. 

Creator God,

at Baptism, we accepted the call to follow Jesus.

Be with us as we move along on our faith journey.

Send us your Holy Spirit,

so that we might have wisdom for the journey.

Help us to develop and share our gifts

as good stewards, that we may use them

in love and service in your Kingdom.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Amen

Veterans Day

We all owe a lot to all the men and women who are serving and who have served in the Armed Services of our country.

Let us pause and remember their sacrifices – great and small. Let us also remember the families who love and support them.

We thank you for our freedom and our safety and our way of life.

We Honor You and We Thank You!

Feast Day of St. Leo the Great

With apparent strong conviction of the importance of the Bishop of Rome in the Church, and of the Church as the ongoing sign of Christ’s presence in the world, Leo the Great displayed endless dedication as pope. Elected in 440, he worked tirelessly as "Peter’s successor," guiding his fellow bishops as "equals in the episcopacy and infirmities."

Leo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His work branched into four main areas, indicative of his notion of the pope’s total responsibility for the flock of Christ. He worked at length to control the heresies of Pelagianism, Manichaeism and others, placing demands on their followers so as to secure true Christian beliefs. A second major area of his concern was doctrinal controversy in the Church in the East, to which he responded with a classic letter setting down the Church’s teaching on the two natures of Christ. With strong faith, he also led the defense of Rome against barbarian attack, taking the role of peacemaker.

In these three areas, Leo’s work has been highly regarded. His growth to sainthood has its basis in the spiritual depth with which he approached the pastoral care of his people, which was the fourth focus of his work. He is known for his spiritually profound sermons. An instrument of the call to holiness, well-versed in Scripture and ecclesiastical awareness, Leo had the ability to reach the everyday needs and interests of his people. One of his sermons is used in the Office of Readings on Christmas.

It is said of Leo that his true significance rests in his doctrinal insistence on the mysteries of Christ and the Church and in the supernatural charisms of the spiritual life given to humanity in Christ and in his Body, the Church. Thus Leo held firmly that everything he did and said as pope for the administration of the Church represented Christ, the head of the Mystical Body, and St. Peter, in whose place Leo acted.

At a time when there is widespread criticism of Church structures, we also hear criticism that bishops and priests—indeed, all of us—are too preoccupied with administration of temporal matters. Pope Leo is an example of a great administrator who used his talents in areas where spirit and structure are inseparably combined: doctrine, peace and pastoral care. He avoided an "angelism" that tries to live without the body, as well as the "practicality" that deals only in externals.

Numbers

 “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

~ Mother Teresa

Regret

Holding onto regret is like dragging the weight of the past with us everywhere we go. It drains our energy, leaving less available for life in the present because we are constantly feeding an old issue. This attachment can cause illness the same way watering a dead plant creates decay. We know that something new and beautiful can grow in its place if we only prepare the soil and plant the right seeds. We also know that we create our lives from our thoughts, so dwelling on the past may actually recreate a situation in our lives where we are forced to make the choice again and again. We can choose to move on right now by applying what we have learned to the present and perhaps even sharing with others, transforming the energy into something that is constructive and creative for ourselves and others.

Forgiveness is the soothing balm that can heal regret. In meditation, we can imagine discussing the issue with the self of our past and offering our forgiveness for the choice. In return, we can ask for our selves‚ forgiveness for keeping them locked in that space of judgment for so long. We may also want to ask forgiveness from anyone else who may have been affected and perhaps offer our forgiveness. By replaying the event in our minds, we can choose a new ending using all that we now know. Imagine that you have actually gone back into the past and made this change, and then say goodbye to it. Release your former self with a hug and bring the forgiveness and love back with you to the present. Since we are usually our harshest critics, it is amazing how powerfully healing it can be to offer ourselves love.

Keeping our minds and our energy fully in the present allows us to fuel our physical and emotional healing and well-being today. This action frees our energy to create the dreams we dream for the future. By taking responsibility and action in the present, we can release our hold on the past.

By Madisyn Taylor

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

If gospel readings had punch lines, the punch line for today’s gospel from Matthew 25:1–13 is, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour" (vs. 13). Using a wedding as the frame for this Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus warns his disciples and us about the importance of being prepared. In this case we are preparing for the coming of Jesus. For any of you who have participated in pulling together a wedding, you know that meticulous planning is involved. Many people find weddings so daunting that they hire professional wedding planners to make sure everything gets done. Every facet of the day is coordinated with military precision. If we prepared ourselves for entry into the kingdom of heaven with the same diligence as a bride preparing for her wedding, I doubt any of us would have a problem getting in.

In today’s first reading, Wisdom 6:12–16, the writer reminds us that “Whoever watches for her (wisdom) at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.

For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil

shall quickly be free from care…”. This reading compliments The Parable of the Ten Virgins. Both readings focus on watching, waiting, planning and preparedness. Wisdom seeks out those who “are worthy of her.” The unfortunate people who reject the counsel of Wisdom are guaranteed much suffering both in this life and in the next.

Just as weddings today require a lot of planning and preparation, our entry into the kingdom of heaven requires planning and preparation as well. We must be prepared to meet Jesus whenever he arrives. If we procrastinate, we run the risk of confronting a locked door or being left in the dark. Each of us receives an invitation with an RSVP requesting a timely response. When and how we respond is up to each one of us.

Lord God, our Father,

you want us to encounter your Son

here on earth as our companion in life. 

 Help us pay attention to the word that warns us

to increase the 'oil for our lamps,'

that they may not flicker and go out

while we await the Bridegroom's return.

May we be always ready to greet Christ when he comes

and enter with him into the wedding feast

for he is our Lord for ever and ever.

AMEN.

Everybody

This is a story about four people named: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.

Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it!

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.