November 15th, 2023 (33 Sunday Ordinary A)

Dear brothers and sisters, God is entrusting us with his Holy Spirit. This is the talent he gives us. This is the money the master of the parable gives to his servants. The question for us is: what have we done with it? What did we do with the Holy Spirit, the faith given to us in baptism? Did we make this money multiply or did we bury it in the ground? If we have traded with it and worked with it we will have seen how God provides and multiplies it. If we have buried our faith in the ground and with it the Holy Spirit we did not do any trading. Our life is dead of works of eternal life. We basically live for ourselves a worldly life. Christ calls us today not to bury the graces he gives us, the immense gift of the Holy Spirit in us. Like Christ, if God calls us through baptism to be Christians, we are called to work through the Holy Spirit and to live by faith and do works of eternal life. This is the “talent” God gives us. If we receive from Jesus Christ the love of God, this will fill us with faith in him and gratitude. This “talent,” this gift of the love of God for us, is so immense it is impossible to bury. It would be like trying to bury the sun, it is impossible. The Christian cannot hide Jesus Christ living in him, everything he does is a reflection of the love of God. If we really understand the gift God is giving us like St. Paul says, “it is no longer I who live but Christ living in me” this love will manifest itself in many forms.  This love and this spirit is clearly seen in the works of eternal life in us. The lamp is placed not under a bushel basket but on a lampstand for everyone in the house to see the light and seeing our good works they may give glory to God.

Peace, Fr. Nicholas