Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our readings from Revelation and the Gospel of Luke invite us to contemplate the majesty of God and the responsibilities we bear as stewards of His gifts. They weave together an intricate tapestry of divine glory and human duty, calling us to recognize the grand vision of God’s reign and our role within it. He has a plan and each of us is a big part of it.
We continue in our first reading hearing from Saint John the Beloved and a breathtaking vision of the heavenly throne that was given to him. Picture, if you will, the brilliance of God surrounded by light like diamonds and rubies, an emerald halo shimmering in the heavenly sanctuary. The imagery evokes awe and reverence. The twenty-four elders encircle the throne, their white garments and golden crowns reflecting their roles as faithful servants of God. What are they doing? Day and night, they proclaim, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!" Their eternal worship signifies that God's rule transcends time and space, solidifying Him as the Creator and Sustainer of all that is. A lot of times in our emphasis on God as a tender Father, which is a correct description, we lose sight of his magnificence and transcendence and his eternal glory as Creator. This is veiled from us for the time being, intentionally by Him, yet will be revealed in time. John here, gets a foretaste.
We live in a world often filled with noise—distractions from the divine, temptations to focus solely on material success and personal desires. Yet in this heavenly vision, we are reminded of the ultimate purpose of our lives: to glorify God and acknowledge His sovereignty. Just like the elders, we too are called to worship—not just in prayer but through the active living out of our faith.
The Gospel reading from Luke presents us with a powerful parable that speaks directly to our stewardship of divine gifts. Here, we find a nobleman entrusting his servants with gold coins. Each servant receives the same amount, symbolizing that every one of us has been given gifts by God—our resources, talents, time, and influence. The expectation is clear: we are to engage with these gifts, to invest them, to make them fruitful in this interval time between the veiled and the revealed, the Lord who has gone for a while, but who will return. What we do in the meantime is summed up in the actions of these servants, who for the most part have acknowledged and put to use God’s wonderful gifts.
Yet, one servant buries his coin in fear, convinced that the nobleman is a demanding ruler. His caution leads to failure and loss, while the faithful servants, who risk and invest, are rewarded exponentially. This parable challenges us to reflect on our relationship with the gifts we possess and the fear that can paralyze us from taking action.
How often do we bury our talents out of fear—fear of failure, fear of judgment, or fear of the unknown? We may cling to our resources, convinced that our security lies in what we hold tightly. But scripture teaches us otherwise. True wealth comes not from hoarding but from sharing, not from fear, but from courage, not from a paranoic preservation of our lives, but from a laying it down in service to others. The more we invest in love, service, and self-giving, the more we will see the abundant life that God promises—freedom, security, and peace. And this is where true happiness comes, because we wish to do so much for God who has done so much for us, as thanksgiving and recognition of his goodness, and when we become servants it is our way of reciprocating the love of the one who came not to be served, but to serve and lay down his life as a ransom for many.
St. Francis of Assisi, whom we celebrate as a model of stewardship and selflessness, understood this profoundly. He lived a life of radical generosity, giving away what he had to serve others, finding grace in surrender rather than in accumulation. Similarly, St. Teresa of Calcutta taught that “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” In our humility and kindness, we invest in the Kingdom of God.
As we reflect on these powerful readings, let us ask ourselves: What gifts has God entrusted to me? How am I using them for the benefit of others? Perhaps there are voices of fear that hold us back from taking risks for the sake of love. The parable of the nobleman urges us to remember that we are called, as children of God, to bear fruit that lasts, to share our resources abundantly, to engage with the world around us with the heart of a servant, continuing to have a vision of the Kingdom of God to come, yet already in our midst.
Our Guardian Angel continues to inspire us. From the first moment of his immediate creation by God, he chose the way of the humble servant. Although glorious and intelligent and more magnificent than we can now imagine, he chose the love of lowliness, having been shown the humility of his Creator. Let us thank our angel today, and let us turn also to his Queen, our precious Mother and thank her as well for all she does for us through her daily intercession on our behalf with Jesus and her wonderful example of humility and service in the Kingdom of God wherein she eagerly awaits our arrival, to join with the blessed in forever singing His praises, and to proclaim with the elders in the fine white garments: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!"
Mary, Mother of the Elect, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Amen.
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