It came from a couple from our parish who we met through our son when he asked if he could invite some friends over for dinner. Thinking the friends would be our son’s age, we were quite surprised when this couple with a daughter a few years older than our son was at the front door that evening. It was the beginning of a long, beautiful relationship that affected everyone in ours and their family from then on.
The gift was $400, a large amount in those days, they put together so we could pay some of our bills. The caveat was that when we were in better financial shape, we should help others who were in need like we were. This was way before the 2000 movie “Pay It Forward.” It was not only a God send, but it refocused how we needed to look at life as Catholic Christians who though having financial difficulties could still reach out to others with gifts that God has given us.
St. Matthew’s Gospel today focuses on disciples who are given gifts by God to be used to make a difference in people’s lives who are in need. We are created by God for a purpose. It is our responsibility to discover what that purpose is and to be proactive as often as we can because time is fleeting as to when God will come for us. We can either invest the talents (gifts) we have or waste them and face God at the end of our life about what we did or didn’t do with all that we received.
St. Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians tells them that through their belief in Jesus as their Savior they are following the ways of the Lord, but to not become complacent because time is fleeting and they need to be prepared before Christ’s returns for judgment. If we don’t follow through, God may deny our forward progress to a life of peace and joy. And, so like last week’s parable, we need to stay awake at all times.
The Book of Proverbs about the ideal wife who embodies wisdom provides us with multiple options of how to share the many gifts God gives us. I know that I am constantly blessed by my wife, Candi, who in our 55 years of marriage has shown me how one cares for others, be they family or not. The time and compassion she devotes seem endless, but the difference she makes touches all for the better.
As disciples of Jesus we promise to be obedient to God’s will by using all that He has given us in the service of one another, especially the poor and needy. That is why St. Paul calls us the children of light and day because we will be ready for the Lord’s return due to our lifestyle and pursuits of all that is good. Let us take this week to look into our hearts for ways we have not even looked at yet to share our gifts from God for all we serve.
Reading 1: Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31
Reading 2: First Thessalonians 5: 1-6
Gospel: Matthew 25: 14-30
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