It’s the last Saturday of August, the unofficial end of the summer season and Labor Day weekend. Where did the time go? I haven’t finished the projects or spent time with the people I hoped to catch up with like I had intended. But, whether I like it or not, summer has passed and I must continue doing what God asks of me in the here and now.
Today’s Scriptures focus on the concept of living in the present, and knowing the difference between wisdom and foolishness. These Bible passages have escaped my understanding for a long time. It is only through daily lived experiences that I have begun to grasp what is held in Paul’s teaching in First Corinthians about no human being boasting before God and Jesus’ parable of the servants and the talents.
My closest companions know that I work better with a firm deadline; for the most part. I say this tongue in cheek as I continue to mull on bits and pieces of the appointed task leading up to the date. Then, in a flurry and in a hurry, I accomplish it by the grace of God and the help of my guardian angel. Friends also tell me that would drive them nuts, continuing to put tasks aside. I’m a work in progress and not as bad as I used to be. God willing, I will continue to mature, one thing or project at a time, and with a whole lot less multi-tasking.
The parable of talents in today’s Gospel isn’t necessarily one of my favorites. When I was younger, the master’s responses to his servants seemed quite harsh to me even though I learned Aesop’s fables and enjoyed ‘A Bug’s Life’. There are so many situations where a choice is made to kick the can down the road, and not to prepare for the next day, event, season or generation.
O gracious God, help me to take care of what needs to be done in the moment. Give me the energy to prepare for the things that will happen in my lifetime. I know I need to breathe, drink, eat, vote and at some point, die. Grant me the courage, insight and wisdom to act on what You would have me do as your ears, eyes, hands and voice in this world. Amen.
Daily Reading
Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Cor 1:26-31 Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.Not many of you were wise by human standards,not many were powerful,not many were of noble birth.Rather, God chose…
Saint of the Day
Saint Raymond Nonnatus
Saint Raymond Nonnatus, delivered by cesarean after his mother’s death, is the patron saint of expectant mothers and midwives.
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