Come share your Master’s joy!

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 18 & 19, 2017 ~ St. Monica, Palatka ~ Father Ron

Come share your master’s joy!

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Proverbs 31:10-31 ~ When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. (We, the Church of Jesus Christ are the worthy wife.)

Psalm 128 ~ Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways!

Thessalonians 5:1-6 ~ For all of you are children of the light and children of the day.

Gospel: Matthew 25: 14-30 ~ Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away.”

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Jesus is the husband. We have the opportunity to be the worthy wife.

It is sometimes difficult to accept that Jesus has been looking for each and every one of us.

Basically, Jesus is seeking out people who will accept his gifts and multiply them. What is the gift we receive? His Body and his Blood. What have we done this week with the gift we have received?

Each week we fill up with the love of Jesus in Eucharist. We give thanks for the gift we receive, and then we increase the love by sharing our talents. I understand that sometimes, one week seems like a long time like the man who entrusted his talents and went off. The week is really long when one of our loved ones is suffering from cancer, or our job security is anything but secure. Sometimes the week feels like forever when our children are not thriving or when our marriage is on quite rocky grounds. But still, Jesus has given each of us talents according to our abilities.

Jesus is counting on us to go out and increase his love in the world. Will you be a partner with Jesus? Will you work as a team? I am sure your answer is yes, but remember it is a lifelong commitment.

I Ron, take you, the people of God to be my beloved. I promise to be faithful to you in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life… or more!

Greedy Sons

There was once a hard-working and generous farmer who had several idle and greedy sons. On his deathbed, he told them that they would find his treasure if they were to dig in a certain field. As soon as the old man was dead, the sons hurried to the field and proceeded to dig it up from one end to another in search of the treasure. The longer they worked, the more desperate they became. Yet, they did not find a single ounce of gold.

Surveying the field, they reasoned that in his generosity their father must have given his gold away during his lifetime. Just as they abandoned their search, it occurred to them that since the land had been prepared they might as well sow a crop. They planted wheat, which produced an abundant yield. When it matured they sold their crop and prospered.

After the harvest was in, the sons thought again about the rare possibility that they might have missed the buried gold. Once again they dug up their fields, with the same result.

After several years they became accustomed to labor and to the cycle of seasons, something which they had not understood before. Finally they understood that their father had been training them to become hard-working farmers. As time passed they became wealthy through the work of their hands and no longer wondered about the hidden hoard.

 

If we think about who the parable is addressed to, Jesus is telling it to the servant who buried the talent in hope that he would become a hard-working disciple who does not depend on miracles, quick fixes or get rich quick schemes on the internet. Jesus is the hard-working and generous farmer. The harvest is great, but laborers are few. Wisdom is required to obtain the treasure of Wisdom.

 

God has given us great and wonderful talents… what will you do with them to become Good News?

Buried Faith

33^rd Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 25: 14-30

“Jesus was going on a journey. He called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them: a cross, a thorny crown, a purple garment, some parables, his Mother, some bread, water and his blood…”

After the resurrection and before he ascended into heaven Jesus wanted to give all of us one more talent. Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” He entrusted us with talents of love, joy, peace and hope. Then before being taken up to heaven, Jesus said to them, “Behold, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS UNTIL THE END OF TIME.” Jesus is the talent entrusted to all of us.

Two brothers were with their mother in Italy far from home. She became seriously ill. She was only 56 years old.

During her illness she became unconscious and for a while was unaware of her surroundings. The brothers ran to her side but she quickly regained consciousness. She looked at her boys as they stood there and asked with a puzzled voice, “Where was I?”

The young men were overwhelmed with grief, but their mother held her gaze upon them and spoke further: “Here you shall bury your mother.”

One of the brothers remained silent as he held back his tears. However the other brother haltingly expressed his hope that she might not die in a strange country but in her own land, since her end would be happier there.

When she heard this, her face was filled with anxiety, and she reproached her younger son with a glance because he had entertained such earthly thoughts. This son later said to his brother that her glance felt like the glance Peter received from Jesus after he denied him three times. Then she looked at her other son and said,

“Look what he is saying.” There upon she said to both of them: “Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern. One thing only I ask of you, that you remember me at the altar of God wherever you may be.”

       These were the final words Monica shared with her beloved sons before she fell silent as the pain of her illness increased.

Would Augustine bury the faith he inherited from his mother, or would he truly remember her at the altar of God? Jesus warned his disciples that he would be killed and buried, but not his faith and love. If we remember our loved ones at the altar rather than remaining at the buried remains, we will get more talents every time we come to give thanks at Eucharist.

So often many of us are so concerned about what we will leave our children and loved ones after we die. We hope that we will store enough money and investments to survive old age and avoid nursing homes or become homeless. Unfortunately, children are sometimes motivated to stay close to their parents for what they may leave behind, rather than use the faith that they give while still living. It is important to pay attention and plan, but Jesus cautions us to not live in fear, but trust God alone. The two brothers did not receive a financial inheritance from their mother, but their heavenly inheritance propelled them all to saintliness… the inheritance of God, Our Father. Maybe it would be better to leave nothing to our loved ones so that they trust in Jesus, Our God alone.

Our greatest treasure is Jesus. Don’t inadvertently bury Him out of fear, but use God’s love. Go make a difference with the talents entrusted to you. Your talents (love, joy, and peace) can only produce more talents and abundant fruits. Let us give Thanks Giving!