These past few Sundays have been offering us special words of wisdom to deal with the different types of crises that we seem to be encountering more frequently in life. Moments of crises, whether great or small, seem to present us with opportunities to use our God-given gifts well or not at all. Sometimes we have to make our choices rapidly as well as wisely. It’s seems that only when we have been walking and talking with God on a regular basis can we muster the fortitude to face these situations with grace and dignity. The parables of Jesus are meant to catch us “off guard” in as much as we find that the Kingdom of God is not quite what we make it out to be. The parables that we have been reflecting upon recently pose the question, “How do we respond to God’s love?”

The final parable in this week’s Gospel talks about a net thrown into the waters. All sorts of things were collected. But what was found to be useless was discarded. This is obviously a reference to our final judgment. With that thought in mind, we might want to look at certain elements of the life we presently live to see whether we have been using God’s gifts wisely and prudently. Too many of us live as if “there is no tomorrow.” Look at the tragedies of young people who probably thought that way and have been called from this earth at what we consider to be a young age. Surely, there are lessons for us to learn so that we don’t live lives of reckless abandon.

Wisdom and faithfulness are two of the most necessary ingredients in life to have in store in our “spiritual first-aid kit” if we want to have a real life with God. Since these are truly His gifts, all we have to do is ask Him for them and to use them wisely, and they can be ours.

We recall from the first reading of this Sunday the story from the Old Testament, that Solomon, King David’s son had been unfaithful to all that his father had tried to teach him in order to become a good – even great king. In a dream, God appeared to him and asked him what he wanted. He could have asked for any of the usual gifts wealth, power, or long life. Instead, he asked for wisdom, and so many more gifts were added. He became a great ruler but, unfortunately, somehow lost his focus on what he was supposed to do. So his “gifts” eluded him after a while, and he did not get to realize his dreams.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta, while a young missionary nun teaching in an exclusive school in India, was reminded in a letter from her mother to be faithful to her vow to serve the poor. While riding a train on her way to make a retreat, she reflected upon those words and grew into a greater awareness of her calling to serve the poor. She then decided to live among them and minister to them. She considered her call to be faithful as being even more important than the call to holiness. No doubt, she questioned her faith and even wrote in her journal about the temptation to feel that she was abandoned by God. In time, her good example of faithfulness inspired many other women to follow in her footsteps and, like Theresa, become dedicated to working among the poor. So, her order grew fast and vast, and for all the work she did among the poor and the people she inspired, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The mystery of faith that we experience in our lives, the beauty of life’s greatest treasures being close at hand, are all pointed at by the Eucharist. Each time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist (which, for Catholics, is by participation at Mass each Sunday), we have to look beyond the Bread and Wine and see the power of Jesus working through His Holy Spirit in each of us. We have to look “with the eyes of faith,” to the very wondrous Presence of God all around us. But we must gather with pure hearts and the right intention. To approach Jesus in the Eucharist too casually, or our only occasionally coming to Sunday Mass and then receiving the Holy Eucharist without the proper confessing of our serious sin of neglect of Him on the Sabbath, jeopardizes our future life with Him, and it compounds our inability to truly receive His graces. It is not an option to skip Sunday Mass and then receive the Holy Eucharist unworthily on a future occasion without first confessing our serious sin. How can we possibly say we love God when we ignore His command to keep holy each Sabbath? The hypocrisy will not be seen by others, but God knows our hearts. That’s why it’s important to note that the parables this week include the one of the great fishing net: “What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age.” (Mt. 13: 48b,49). Though not always the case in humans, justice and mercy are well-balanced in God. For sure, we can always call upon God’s mercy, but only if we approach Him with a humble and contrite heart; that presumes faithfulness on our part to His teachings in their fullness.

Very Rev. Canon Tom