A Catholic Clergy Perspective: THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A) "What's in Your Bag of Gifts"? by Deacon Jim Merle

Friday, November 13, 2026

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A) "What's in Your Bag of Gifts"? by Deacon Jim Merle

There was a time early in our marriage, with four young children, when I was out of work for nearly three years, save for a few odd jobs here and there. We relied on unemployment income, welfare, and miscellaneous gifts from friends to survive. One of those gifts changed my wife's and my life because of the way it was given.

It came from a couple from our parish whom 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, showed up at the front door that evening. It was the beginning of a long, beautiful relationship that would affect everyone in both our families from then on.

The gift was $400, a large amount in those days, which they put together to help us pay some of our bills. Their one request was that when we were in better financial shape, we help others who were in need just as we had been. This was way before the 2000 movie "Pay It Forward." It was not only a Godsend, but it refocused how we needed to look at life as Catholic Christians. Even though we were experiencing financial difficulties, we could still reach out to others using the gifts God had given us.

St. Matthew's Gospel today focuses on disciples who are given gifts by God to make a difference in the lives of those in need. We are created by God for a purpose. It is our responsibility to discover what that purpose is and be proactive in living it out, because our time here is fleeting. We can either invest the talents (gifts) we have been given or waste them, eventually facing God with the question of what we did or did not 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. However, they must not become complacent. They need to remain prepared for Christ's return and judgment. If we do not follow through on our faith, we risk missing the life of peace and joy God wants for us. And so, like last week's parable, we need to stay awake at all times.

The Book of Proverbs, which speaks about the ideal wife who embodies wisdom, provides us with multiple examples of how to share the many gifts God gives us. I know that I am constantly blessed by my wife, Candi, who throughout our 58 years of marriage has shown me how to care for others, whether family or not. The time and compassion she devotes to others seems endless, but the difference she makes touches everyone 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 children of light and day. We will be ready for the Lord's return because of our lifestyle and our pursuit of all that is good.

Let us take this week to look into our hearts and discover ways, perhaps ones we have not even considered, to share our gifts from God with all those we serve.

Reading 1: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
Psalm: 128:1-5
Reading 2: First Thessalonians 5:1-6
Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

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Bishop Kevin W. Vann, JCD, DD, D MIN

He was ordained on May 30, 1981, and was assigned to graduate studies in canon law at the Angelicum in Rome, with residence at the graduate house of the North American College, the Casa Santa Maria dell’ Umilta. Pope Leo XIV, when a priest, also attended these classes at the same time. Upon returning to the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, Father Vann participated in the work of the Diocesan Tribunal and the Tribunal of Second Instance in Chicago. He served as pastor of parishes ranging in size from 35 to 1,300 families, two which had large schools. He taught canon law at Kenrick Seminary. Before he was named bishop, he was pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, Vicar for Priests and the Diocesan contact for Hispanic Ministry. Bishop Vann was ordained and installed as the third bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Forth Worth, Texas, on July 13, 2005, at Texas Christian University’s Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. In Texas, he collaborated closely with other bishops through the Texas Catholic Conference and Region X, which includes dioceses of States of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He is the former Texas Bishops’ Liaison to the Texas Mission Council and Texas Catholic hospitals. And, through the U.S. Conference of Bishops, Bishop Vann was a leader in the Texas Conference of Bishops, providing leadership for various initiatives at the national level, including service on ad hoc committee which assisted the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to guide the incorporation of Anglican groups into the Catholic Church of the United States. On September 21, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI announced Bishop Vann’s appointment as the fourth bishop of Orange, the 11th largest diocese in the country and the second-largest west of the Mississippi with 1.3 million multicultural Catholics. He continues to lead the historic effort to transform the former Crystal Cathedral from a world-renowned center of Protestant worship into the West Coast’s most visible center of Catholicism.

Father Glenn Baaten

A priest of the ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a community with the Catholic Church made up of former Anglicans and Episcopalians. He Currently serves as Parish Administrator of St. John Henry Newman Catholic Church in Irvine and as Chaplain of Santiago Retreat Center in Silverado. His ministry within the Diocese of Orange, California, is a collaborative appointment by Bishop Steven Lopes and Bishop Kevin Vann. Fr. Glenn was ordained to the Catholic priesthood on June 24, 2016, the Feast of St. John the Baptist. His journey to the Catholic Church followed years of faithful ministry in Protestant communities. He was ordained a Presbyterian pastor in 1998 and served a PCUSA parish in Cincinnati, Ohio. After returning to California in 2010, he discerned a call to Anglican ministry and was ordained in the Church of England tradition in 2013. He relinquished his Anglican holy orders and, after catechesis, was received into the Church on Christmas eve of that year. Fr. Glenn has been married to Cathy for 42 years. They are the blessed parents of two adult children and grandparents of three. His ministry is marked by a strong commitment to evangelization, Christian unity and sacred beauty of the liturgy. As a follower of Christ these many past decades – most especially as a priest – Fr. Glenn is committed to sharing the grace and love of Jesus to all and living the depth of that faith in the fulness of the Catholic Church.

Deacon Jim Merle

Deacon Jim was ordained 20 years ago on April 30, 2005, and lives in Southern California where he has served the Catholic Church on parish, diocesan and national levels. He periodically writes Pastoral Letters for church bulletins, as well as articles for the Diaconate community’s “Bowl & Towel” and the diocesan newspaper in addition to “A Catholic Deacon’s Perspective,” recently renamed “A Catholic Clergy’s Perspective” with the addition of Bishop Kevin W. Vann and Fr. Glenn Baaten as periodic writers. On the parish level he has served at three parishes involved in helping with Sacramental training, Faith Formation and annulments. His diocesan involvements include a six-year term on the Diaconate Personnel Board, a founding committee member of the God’s Servants Committee (an educational component of quarterly meetings for active deacons), as a Master of Ceremonies at Confirmations, ordinations, installations and other ceremonies, an Advanced Master Catechist Certification to teach theological and certification classes and recently was selected to head up a Deanery Council of Deacons and their wives to support their ordination faculties and activities in each of the seven deaneries. On a local and national level, he coordinated the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) diocesan board for 14 years. CCHD is the domestic social justice arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) which distribute parishioner’s donations for non-profit organizations to empower the impoverished, marginalized and disenfranchised who have social justice needs. In his early career he was a writer/reporter for a well-known Chicago newspaper, as well as owning a public relations/advertising firm. He is now semi-retired and works parttime in two professional practices he owns. On a personal note, he is married 57 years, helped rear four children with his wife, a grandfather to 10 grandchildren and a great grandfather to six great grandchildren.

BLOG INTRODUCTION

Scripture is like the eyes into God’s soul. Whether from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) or the New Testament, we can garner, as best we can, who God is (what He feels and how He thinks in human terms). The original and current purpose of this blog, which began in 2019, is to take a three-year cycle of A, B and C Gospels and readings from each Sunday and provide a perspective as it pertains to our current lives as seen through the eyes of a Catholic clergy who serve Catholics in words and deeds per their ordination. Since completing the three-year cycles, it has been expanded to investigate the areas of Commentaries, Scripture and Theology. It is because of that the blog will now have writings from Bishop Kevin Vann, Ordinary of the Diocese of Orange, California, Father Glenn Baaten, a former Anglican priest, ordained into the Roman Catholic Church as a priest, and Deacon Jim Merle, who recently celebrated his 20th year ordination and started this blog. Bishop Vann and Father Glenn will author articles on a periodic basis based upon the time they have to devote to the blog. Deacon Jim will continue to offer weekly articles, still based on the three-year cycle along with various current events that challenge us to balance our humanity with our spiritual lives. The hope is that you, our subscribers, will see this as something of value to help you grow closer to the Lord.