SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020 - The Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November15,2020
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
“My life in the light of eternity” might be one way to sum up the message of the Sacred Scriptures chosen for Mass this weekend. When all is said and done each of us will be required to give an account before God. So that we are always ready for that moment, as we approach the end of the liturgical year the Church encourages us to meditate on the Last Things: death, judgment, heaven, hell. Though these are sobering thoughts, they are meant to do good to our souls. Nothing morose is intended. It is God’s will that we fully live the Christian life while we still have the chance - before it is too late. Various images are used to get the point across to us with the hope that we will change what needs to be changed while there is still time.
We are familiar with the story of the talents that Jesus uses. What Catholic today hasn’t heard of the three “t’s”, that is, time, talent, and treasure? Our response to our good and loving God can be measured by the way we utilize our time, our talents, and our treasure that is, our money, in His service and in the service of our neighbors. If our faith is strong we feel impelled to express it by the way we live each day. It is never enough to give God just lip service. Yet He never forces us. Our generosity with God’s blessings shows by our actions that we have been touched by His great love.
The Book of Proverbs speaks a language we can all understand; when it says that a worthy wife has a value beyond pearls. You know it when you see it. The authentic Christian makes a big difference in ways beyond measure. He or she is as St. Paul describes a light in the darkness. Enthused, genuine, Christians share the light that their souls received from Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. More than ever Christians need to light up our world with the joy of their faith.
Our society awaits what recent popes have called the New Evangelization. When ordinary folk are not afraid to fully live as Christians then there will be a tremendous spiritual revolution that will set the world on fire with love.
Yours in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor