You might be surprised that the music director is not going use this week’s Parable of the Talents as a plea that you share your musical abilities with the church.
One reason is that the talents in the story
refer to money.
The other is that my focus remains
on how the gospel fits into the mini-season of the
last Sundays of ordinary time.
The Parable of the Talents is the first half of a
chapter which is concluded next week. This
concluding story depicting the final judgment is
found only in the gospel of Matthew.
As I reread the readings for these last three
Sundays I thought of a poem title; “The Dash”
written by Linda Ellis. Here is a link
The
poem highlights the significance of the dash
between dates of a person’s birth and death.
Perhaps this often repeated quote by a former
pastor (Fr. Dino Zeni) when he preached at
funerals summarizes it well:
“It is not important how or when we die.
What is
critical; is how we live.”
I am also reminded of a lesson learned from my
father.
Mom and Dad were coming to Saturday
evening mass. I was playing at mass as well as the
2 p.m. first communion which preceded it. When
the communion ended I went to a nearby diner to
have a cup of coffee.
As I pulled back into the
church parking lot I saw my dad under the hood of
a car which I did not recognize. It wasn’t until I
walked up to the car that I realized what had
transpired. The owner of the car had been stuck
since the end of the communion mass. A severe
speech impediment prevented him from asking for
and receiving help. My father; the good Samaritan
had initiated the conversation and offered to help.
As we gather at mass praying John Becker's setting of the Litany of the Saints I will
be thinking of my dad; Vincent J. Mauro, his birth
on Dec. 11, 1933, and death on May 4, 2013 but
most importantly I will be thinking about the dash
in between.
I invite you to do the same for someone whom you
love.
Blessed to be in ministry at St. Mary’s.
Bruce
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