Father John’s reflection for Sunday 19 Nov 2023

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Each of us is entrusted with gifts and talents for the good of the whole creation. We live in a country that has been blessed not only by great natural beauty but an abundance of opportunity. Yet this is not just for our private consumption or personal pleasure. We are part of a commonwealth that is called to share the goodness we have received for the common good. Each of us has a part to play in renewing the environment in which we live and caring for those who have been entrusted to us. We are called to entrust all things to God for the good of the whole community.

This is especially necessary when we become aware of the forces that tear at that unity of purpose. When we see people seeking to profit from conflict, hatred, and violence the humanity of all is diminished. It recognises that we are called to profit in virtue not just external wealth that can be here today and gone tomorrow. This calls for an integrity of life that seeks to see all things as entrusted to us by God for a good purpose. In a world that seeks to emphasise personal autonomy at the expense of corporate responsibility, we can notice the attitude that creeps into the daily life of every person for themselves.

Yet in the Gospel, we see a daily examen that calls us to reflect on how we have used these gifts to produce good fruits. This act of surrender is about a belief that everything is given to us for a good purpose. It calls us to a prayer that entrusts our whole life to God, seeks to discover in our own square metre what we are called to do today, and acts in a way that gives and receives with open hands.

As we enter this Sunday this weekend, we need to ensure that we do not just send the gifts entrusted back to sender unused. Our reason for being is to develop a healthy detachment that allows us to discover God at work in all things!

DE COLORES!

Fr. John Armstrong