”A man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability…Which man are you and what will you do with your God given talents?

Today at Holy Mass we hear in St Matthew’s Gospel Jesus instructing his friends…..”Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give”….It is very easy to take for granted everything God has given to us…Our family….. Our health…The country we were born into…….So many people in the world do not have what we have and live in and under very difficult conditions…So the first question to consider is…Do we recognize the gifts, which God has given to us?…..Because if we view them as gifts, we will do what Jesus said today in the gospel….....….”Without cost you are to give”…….And if you do not view what has been given to you as a gift, frankly you will not give……..Some never consider that in a “hot New York minute” everything we have can be taken from us! - You don’t think so?…..One visit to the doctor and poof - The party is over!…One car accident and poof - The party is over!…….Our time here on earth is limited…God gave us gifts, not to be hoarded but to be shared……Because one day, the “party” will end and God will ask us point blank…”What did you do with the gifts I gave you?”….And when that time comes, God will expect a good answer

"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."

In the Parable of the Talents in St Matthew's gospel a story is told about three people…..”It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately”…This story is something we should all pay attention too…..All people are not equal, what I mean by that is, some people have been given much more than others…Whether they are physically stronger, born into wealthy families, born with brilliant minds, etc….For example, if a man can throw a baseball 110 miles an hour as a major league pitcher, that is a gift…The average person can not “practice their way” to throwing a baseball 110 miles an hour…With that said, God expects that gifted Major League Baseball player to use that gift to help others who may not be as “gifted”…Sadly that is not the way it works and I am not pointing fingers here at profession well paid athletes….All of mankind easily loses sight of what has been given to them by God and tends to keep for themself the bounty of their gifts…We see this all around us - I see it in myself…..Do you think God is blind to this?……..A friend of mine who is a priest once told me…If everyone in the world shared, no one would be hungry…As we all know again, that does not happen…I will also ask you again…..Do you think God is blind to this?…Do you think that when mankind stands before God this will not be addressed?…Mother Teresa once said…If you can not feed one hundred people - Feed one...If everyone in the world viewed their gifts in this manner, the world would be a better place for sure…….When I was traveling a lot for work years ago I found myself auditing an office in Beverly Hills…I was in California for two weeks and I stayed over the weekend to enjoy the nice weather…On that particular Sunday, I went to Mass in Beverly Hills…As I walked from my hotel to the Church and passed all the beautiful homes I thought to my self - Who lives here? - Beverly Hills is a far cry from New Jersey where I grew up…..That Sunday Mass in Beverly Hills was well attended and when it came time to line up to receive Holy Communion, the priest did something I never saw before…I assume he did this every Sunday…Instead of the people in the first aisle of the Church receiving the Blessed Sacrament first, the line began from the back of the Church…..The priest in establishing this tradition at this wealthy parish was trying to teach his people something…”Those who have been given much, much will be expected” - "God came to serve not to be served"…….Write what I just said down!…….When we die and face the Lord, He is going to ask each of us…..”When I was hungry - Did you feed me?”…”When I was thirsty - Did you give me a drink?”….”When I was naked - Did you cloth me?”…Now again, I can’t do what the people who attended that Mass in Beverly Hills can do…But make no mistake about it - I can do something!…And so can you…..Before that happens, we must see Christ in others…Our hearts of stone must be turned into hearts of flesh…We have to see our time here on earth as something that is temporary….We must view everything we have, each of our talents and material gains as gifts…Once we do that, our hands will open and so will our hearts…Joy will flood into our soul and so will peace….This is how we were intended to live….This is how God made us to be…..No one ever become poor by sharing

“O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you”

Today Jesus in the Gospel reminds his friends that they have been given so much….And that what was given to them in turn must be shared with others…..I have often thought how blessed we are to be Catholic…To receive the grace of the Sacraments….This is the greatest gift given to mankind - Jesus himself - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament…..We learn from Our Lady when at the Annunciation she said YES to God and Christ entered her womb - And once she received that gift, she immediately “went out” to give it away to her cousin Elizabeth who was in need…It was simple gesture…Elizabeth was pregnant and needed help and Mary her cousin went to help her - So simple…….Mary “saw” Elizabeth’s need because her “eyes were open”…….Our eyes too must be opened to the gift, which was given to us…Our very life is a gift!…..And when we recognize our life to be a gift, we too will strive to “give it away”…....This is the path to heaven…..”A man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability…Which man are you and what will you do with your God given talents?