This Week Letter – November 19, 2017
Dear Parishioners and Friends.
A talent is not only a unit of weight and currency, but also a great ability to care for others, an ability to communicate with others and create mutual relations without criticism and envy, an ability to listen…, the list of the various gifts can be long. Our talents are developed and enriched by love, joy and prayer. Do we even realize that every “talent” is a calling and a commitment to work to improve ourselves and to work for the good of others?
Today’s Gospel shows the typical behavior of a lazy servant, a man who does not care about multiplying the gifts he receives nor about bringing forth the fruits. Abandonment of talents is a fault that deserves the biblical term “wailing and grinding of teeth ” or, as we would call it today, stupidity and laziness. Let us see the culminating point of this story. It teaches us, why the fear of God is completely different from false fear: false fear is based on human accountability and our distrust in God, but fear of God is not fear but is a gift of the Holy Spirit, thanks to which man is afraid to insult God, offfend Him or not do His will. The true fear of God can be found in a man who “walks the way of the Lord” (Ps 128), as the two servants praised by the Lord with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. […] Come, share your master’s joy” (Mt 25,21 and 23).
If one receives more, he is to give more of himself, and although it requires more effort on his part, the reward will be exponentially greater. This is the conclusion of today’s parable about talents. We should not envy other people talents, we need to care for our own development, make our lives creative, and multiply the gifts we receive from God. After our transition from earthly life to eternal life, we will need to give an accounting of how we used the talents given to us.
I would like to welcome Fr. Monsignore Tadeusz Buchowski from Krosno, the Diocese of Przemysl to our parish. He is already retired and came to visit his friends here. The prelate received the permission of the Archdiocese of Chicago and will live for a while in the rectory.
I would like to thank all our parishioners and friends with all my heart for using so many of your talents here in our community. Your kindness, goodness, dedication, and commitment to the various spheres of our lives are inspirational and motivating for us throughout the parish. God bless all: choir members, musicians, cantors, teachers, ushers, ministers, custodians, decorators, donors, parish priests, sponsors of various school and catechetical programs, those involved in parish organizations, those involved in youth and sports programs, as well as those engaged in the snow removal and cleaning of the church property, namely, all those who make our parish still more beautiful in prayer, work and sacrifice. I sincerely thank all those involved in the preparation of the parish fall dance under the leadership of Mrs. Teresa Milewska and Mr. John Reynolds, and everyone who participated in both the Parish Dance and the Raffle. The total income was $ 14,700.63. In addition, Mr. & Mrs. Zofia and Jerzy Szorc have donated $2,000.00 to the parish, which raised the total revenue to the sum of $ 16,700.63.
God bless!