As we begin to prepare our homes and our families to celebrate Thanksgiving, it is an excellent opportunity to reflect on true Christian stewardship. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pastoral letter, Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, addresses how Christian stewardship and discipleship are inextricably linked: “A parable near the end of Matthew’s Gospel (cf. Mt 25:14-30) gives insight into Jesus’ thinking about stewards and stewardship. It is the story of “a man who was going on a journey,” and who left his wealth in silver pieces to be tended by three servants. Two of them respond wisely by investing the money and making a handsome profit. Upon returning, the master commends them warmly and rewards them richly. But the third behaves foolishly, with anxious pettiness, squirreling away the master’s wealth and earning nothing; he is rebuked and punished. The silver pieces of this story stand for a great deal besides money. All temporal and spiritual goods are created by and come from God. That is true of everything human beings have: spiritual gifts like faith, hope, and love; talents of body and brain; cherished relationships with family and friends; material goods; the achievements of human genius and skill; the world itself. One day God will require an accounting of the use each person has made of the particular portion of these goods entrusted to him or her. Each will be measured by the standard of his or her individual vocation. Each has received a different “sum”—a unique mix of talents, opportunities, challenges, weaknesses and strengths, potential modes of service and response—on which the Master expects a return. He will judge individuals according to what they have done with what they were given.”
Good Christian stewardship—investing our time, talents, and treasure—is required for us to confront our challenges and make the most of our opportunities. This year has certainly presented its share of challenges for all of us but as it winds down and we look forward to a new year and new beginnings, we should be eagerly anticipating new opportunities for growth in our parish families. Over the coming months, I look forward to working with the parish’s pastoral and finance councils to increase education and awareness of stewardship throughout our parish. As we enter into this season of grateful thanksgiving, let us take some serious time and spiritual energy to be aware of how we have been blessed by God—especially amidst the pandemic and all of the other challenges this year has presented—and how we can best use what he has given to us for the work we are all called to do.
Mass on Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated at 9:00AM at both Holy Family and St. John. The Thanksgiving Collection will be designated to assist those in need in our community. While Thanksgiving is certainly not a holyday, I encourage you to make an effort to come to Mass that morning. What better way could there be to begin a national day of thanks than by celebrating the Eucharist?
On our civil calendar this Monday we observe Veterans’ Day. At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 the armistice ending the First World War went into effect. This day was known as Armistice Day until 1954 when President Eisenhower signed a law officially designating November 11 as a day to celebrate all veterans of our nation’s armed forces. Over the years, in wartime and peacetime, millions of American men and women have served their country nobly and heroically, keeping our country safe and preserving our precious freedoms. To all of our veterans, a grateful nation thanks you for your service.
On Friday the Church celebrates St. Albert the Great, theologian, philosopher, scientist, and teacher. He was born around the year 1193 in Bavaria; little is known about his family and early life. We do know that he was well-educated, attending the University of Padua where he studied the philosophical writings of Aristotle, which would become the foundation for much of his later intellectual work. In his early 30’s, Albert had a mystical experience with Blessed Virgin Mary, which led him to enter the Dominicans and begin his study of theology. By the middle of the 13th century, he was a renowned master theologian and teacher. Albert’s study of Aristotle shook up the entire field of theology, which had been influenced for centuries by the writings of Plato; he also studied the teachings of several influential Muslim scholars (at that time, the Islamic world led Europe in terms of scholarship, science, and medicine). While teaching at the University of Paris, one of Albert’s students was the future St. Thomas Aquinas. He would eventually become a leader of the Dominican Order, along with Aquinas. In 1260, Albert was named bishop of Regensburg in modern-day Germany, but the life of a bishop did not agree with him so Pope Urban IV allowed him to resign three years later. In his last years, Albert became renowned throughout Europe as a mediator, even as he continued his writings. He died in 1280, was beatified in the 17th century and was canonized and recognized as a doctor of the Church in 1931. St. Albert the Great is, among other things, the patron saint of scientists.
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