We all have busy schedules. Between work, school, responsibilities and social lives, where can we squeeze in the time to focus on developing a deeper relationship with Our Heavenly Father? That’s why St. Juliana Parish has brought you the one spot where you can pray, learn and reflect!
I, John, saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne.
It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.
Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice,
“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
was able to open the scroll or to examine it.
I shed many tears because no one was found worthy
to open the scroll or to examine it.
One of the elders said to me, “Do not weep.
The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed,
enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals.”
Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne
and the four living creatures and the elders
a Lamb that seemed to have been slain.
He had seven horns and seven eyes;
these are the seven spirits of God sent out into the whole world.
He came and received the scroll from the right hand
of the one who sat on the throne.
When he took it,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb.
Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense,
which are the prayers of the holy ones.
They sang a new hymn:
“Worthy are you to receive the scroll
and break open its seals,
for you were slain and with your Blood you purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.
You made them a kingdom and priests for our God,
and they will reign on earth.”
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Feast date: Nov 21
The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated annually on November 21st, commemorates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a child by her parents in the Temple in Jerusalem. Before Mary’s birth, her parents received a heavenly message that they would bear a child. In thanksgiving for the God’s gift of Mary’s birth, they brought her to the Temple to consecrate their only daughter to The Lord.The celebration of the Feast is first documented in the 11th century within the Byzantine Catholic Church. It was introduced into the Roman Catholic Church in the 15th century by Pope Gregory XI, then removed from the calendar by Pope Pius V in the mid 16th century. Pope Sixtus V later reestablished the feast in 1585, and it is still celebrated today, commemorating the faith of her parents, Joachim and Anne, and the purity of Mary.
Sometimes, I just can’t take one more confrontation. My emotional bank gets so low, that one more unpleasant encounter is one too many. All I want to do is duck and cover. I hear that person at work who grumbles incessantly coming and I suddenly have an urgent to-do somewhere else. The caller ID says it is my sister who wants to know why I can’t make it to a family function. I’m sorry I missed your call. I left my phone in the car. It doesn’t feel like I am doing anything wrong, I am just protecting myself, right?
Is it? Lately, I have been very convicted at Mass when we pray, forgive me “for what I have done and what I have failed to do.” I can pretty readily identify those actions I took which separated me from God, but what have I failed to do? It is in failing to act that I am like the third servant in today’s parable. The first two servants take risks with their coins. They could have lost everything, but instead they come back with more. The third servant is not so brave. He hides his coin away so that he can present it back to his master upon his return. But that is not what the master wants. And that is not what Jesus wants from us either.
Unlike the master who went off to a distant country and left his servants on their own, our Master has given us the Bread of angels to nourish us and has sent the Holy Spirit to encourage us and guide us. We are not to duck and take cover, we are to boldly take the coins (talents) we have been given and go out and use them to build the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Maybe I am the only person who will smile and listen to that coworker who grumbles incessantly. Maybe, I am God’s answer to a prayer on their behalf. When I duck, am I failing to act in a way that would bring glory to God? Maybe my sister just needs to be heard. Am I listening to why this event is so important to her and reflecting back a little of God’s light into her life? By not answering my phone, I am failing to spread God’s love to my family.
We are not God. We cannot give what we don’t have and there are times when we need to make sure our own soul is well rested and fed in order to reach out to others. But so often we fail to act because we are tired or drained, when God needs us to rely more fully on Him to bring Him to others. We are not called to just preserve the gifts we have been given, we are called to go out and increase them so when it is our turn to meet him face to face he will say to us, “Well done, good servant!”
A veces, no puedo soportar ni una confrontación más. Mi banco emocional está tan bajo que un encuentro desagradable más es demasiado. Todo lo que quiero hacer es esconderme. Oigo a esa persona en el trabajo que se queja sin parar y de repente tengo algo urgente que hacer en otro lugar. El ID me dice que mi hermana me está llamando porque quiere saber por qué no puedo ir a una reunión familiar. Lamento no haber respondido a tu llamada. Dejé mi teléfono en el carro. No siento que esté haciendo nada malo, solo me estoy protegiendo, ¿verdad?
¿Pero realmente es la verdad? Últimamente, me siento muy culpable en la Misa cuando pido perdón porque he pecado de “obra y omisión”. Puedo identificar fácilmente las acciones que tomé que me separaron de Dios, pero ¿lo qué no he hecho? Es al no actuar que soy como el tercer empleado de la parábola de hoy. Los primeros dos corren riesgos con sus monedas. Podrían haber perdido todo, pero en cambio regresan con más. El tercero no es tan valiente. Esconde su moneda para poder presentársela a su amo cuando regrese. Pero eso no es lo que el amo quiere. Y tampoco es lo que Jesús quiere de nosotros.
A diferencia del amo que se fue a un país lejano y dejó a sus siervos solos, nuestro Maestro nos ha dado el Pan de los ángeles para nutrirnos y ha enviado al Espíritu Santo para animarnos y guiarnos. No debemos escondernos, sino debemos tomar con valentía las monedas (talentos) que se nos han dado y salir y usarlas para construir el Reino de Dios aquí en la tierra.
Tal vez yo sea la única persona que sonreirá y escuchará a ese compañero de trabajo que se queja incesantemente. Tal vez, yo sea la respuesta de Dios a una oración que han hecho por él. Cuando me escondo, ¿estoy dejando de actuar de una manera que traería gloria a Dios? Tal vez mi hermana solo necesita ser escuchada. ¿Estoy escuchando por qué este evento es tan importante para ella y reflejando un poco de la luz de Dios en su vida? Al no contestar el teléfono, estoy dejando de difundir el amor de Dios entre mi familia.
No somos Dios. No podemos dar lo que no tenemos y hay momentos en los que necesitamos asegurarnos de que nuestra propia alma esté bien descansada y alimentada para poder ayudar a los demás. Pero muchas veces no actuamos porque estamos cansados o agotados, cuando Dios necesita que confiemos más plenamente en Él para llevarlo a los demás. No estamos llamados a conservar los dones que hemos recibido, estamos llamados a salir y aumentarlos para que cuando sea nuestro turno de encontrarnos con Él cara a cara, nos diga: “Muy bien. Eres un buen empleado.”
Sheryl’s first calling is to be wife and partner to Tom, who is a candidate for the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. She also gets to live out her passion for teaching and learning by serving as principal at St. Therese Catholic School in Wayland, Michigan. Home is full with Carlyn, our goofy golden retriever, Lucy, our terrier mix wild child, and Mila, our very special Bernese Mountain dog.
Feature Image Credit: Christina @ wocintechchat.com, unsplash.com/photos/two-woman-sitting-by-the-window-laughing-VpcgTEKerEQ
