St. Bede-St. Denis Parish Home

Dear brothers and sisters,

 

When I was teaching philosophy, I asked my students to read Lord of the Flies. It is a novel that tells the story of a group of boys who, after an accident, find themselves stranded on a deserted island, struggling to survive.

 

At first, they try to organize themselves and establish rules for living together. But everything begins to fall apart when fear takes hold of them and brings out the worst in each one.

 

Fear creates distrust and suspicion toward others. Fear can paralyze us, prevent us from moving forward, and lead us to withdraw into ourselves. Like the servant in Jesus' parable, we may end up burying our talents and missing the opportunity to share something of who we are with others.

 

We cannot allow fear to control our lives, no matter how difficult our circumstances may be. To do so would be like burying ourselves while we are still alive, depriving others of the gift that God has made each one of us.

 

Because our lives, even when we go through difficult or uncertain times, are filled with gifts.

 

Gifts in the form of personal abilities and talents. Gifts reflected in the faces of those who have been part of our past and those who share our lives today. Gifts from God that we have received and are called to share.

 

When we forget that life itself is a gift, we can easily fall into the temptation of self-sufficiency, believing that we need no one, or into discouragement, which makes us hide away and give up in the face of our fears, problems, and failures.

 

Our talents were never meant to be kept for ourselves. They are meant to serve the great project of life and love that Jesus proclaimed in the Gospel.

 

Every small gesture of listening, companionship, kindness, forgiveness, or affection that we offer to someone becomes a way for God himself to draw close to that person through us. Sometimes, we may think that what we have to offer is too little. Perhaps we cannot solve someone's problems or change their circumstances. But we can listen. We can stay close. We can offer a word of encouragement or simply be present when someone feels alone. And sometimes, that small gesture makes all the difference.

 

This Sunday, the familiar parable of the talents reminds us that life is both a gift and a responsibility. We cannot allow our fears and anxieties to overcome us, leading us to bury who we are and what we have to offer.

 

May each one of us discover the word, the message, and the love of Jesus that God wishes to communicate to the world through our lives.

 

Let us not bury our talents, especially in times like these, when even the smallest gesture can make an enormous difference in someone's life. Perhaps the question we should carry with us today is this: What gift has God placed in my hands that someone else may be waiting to receive?

 

Have a Blessed Sunday!

 

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