“As we come closer to the end of this Liturgical year we reflect more definitely upon the end times and that sense of accountability. None of us, I don’t think, really loves to be accountable and yet accountability is so very very important and crucial and it’s a fact of reality and that’s what Jesus is talking about today is that we are to be accountable for our lives and for the talents and the abilities that have been given to us and so that rather lengthy parable just reminds us of the blessings that we have and how we can live with a sense of accountability to truly increase the gifts that the Lord has given us and it’s not so much in terms of finances. That’s really not the point of that, but rather it’s all the blessings that we receive. How do we increase those? How do we make them greater? How do they bring about greater life and greater honor and glory to God? That that’s really the crucial thing and so we are reminded of that and I did have to smile as I listened to the reading today. It says, ‘At least you could have put my money in the bank and then I would have got it back with interest.’ With due respect for all bankers, you don’t get much interest out of the bank these days, so it’s almost as good to bury it in the ground. Sorry about that, but anyway the real point again is that God has blessed us so much and how we are increasing those blessings and one of the best ways is to share those blessings with others to be generous in making others’ lives better as well and also though giving greater honor and glory to God.
This weekend is a special time for our parish as we bless our adoration chapel and once again resume perpetual adoration. I am absolutely convinced that one of the most important blessings that we have in the parish in addition to our daily and weekend masses is our adoration chapel and it’s brought more blessings to our families and to our parish community than anything else within the parish and it is such a tremendous blessing that for almost 25 years there has been somebody praying in the chapel 7 days a week, 24 hours a day praying for our parish, praying for their families, praying for their marriages, praying for our world. What a tremendous gift and blessing that is. I want to express a word of thanks to all of you who have been so faithful over the years and have recommitted for carrying on perpetual adoration within our parish that you are a tremendous blessing. I also want to express gratitude to all of you who through your generosity to Mardi Gras over three times as well as your generosity to the One Faith campaign have enabled us to build the adoration chapel as well as to add the canopy over the front of the church. Your generosity has certainly been multiplied there, but most of all it’s for all of us to think about how blessed we are. One of the greatest gifts we have is the abiding presence of Christ with us in every Eucharist, the abiding presence of Christ with us in the blessed sacrament and Jesus continually calls us to remember that he promised, ‘I’ll be with you always.’ I’ll be with you always. Christ always wants to be with us, but it’s our choice to respond to his invitation. ‘Come to me all who are weary and are burdened and I will bring you rest.’ The Lord invites each and every one of us certainly to spend time with Him in the Eucharist, to experience His sacrifice in this Mass, to experience His loving presence in Holy Communion, but also to spend time with Him in Eucharistic Adoration. It would be wonderful if every family in our parish were to commit to a little time of Eucharistic prayer every week. What a tremendous gift that would be not only to our parish, but also to each one who does that because the Lord rewards so generously.”