Reflection for SATURDAY, 21st Week, Ordinary Time.

By

Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Director, Social Action Movement, Don Bosco Bidar

 Today's gospel verses 


 Matthew 25:27-30 

Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.  For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  And gcast hthe worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place gthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

 Today's Reflection 


By and large, we are ordinary people and very much like the rest of humanity.

But there are some people who are extra-ordinary in the sense that they are naturally endowed with some special gifts and talents.

They may be gifted and talented in music, or art, or memory, or sports, and that makes them stand out from the rest of humanity.

But gifts and talents can mean nothing if the potential is not put to use.

And gifts and talents mean nothing if it is not for the glory of God and for the service of others.

As the 1st reading puts it, “The human race has nothing to boast about to God”.

That is simply because whatever gifts and talents that we may have come from God, and it is for us to decide how to use those gifts and talents.

We may have only one talent and may having nothing to boast about and nothing to show.

But when we use that one humble talent to help someone, and even to help others, then God will be proud of us because we have used our gifts and talents to give Him glory.

 Saint of the day 

 August 27 | St. Monica 

The circumstances of Saint Monica’s life could have made her a nagging wife, a bitter daughter-in-law, and a despairing parent, yet she did not give way to any of these temptations. Although she was a Christian, her parents gave her in marriage to a pagan, Patricius, who lived in her hometown of Tagaste in North Africa. Patricius had some redeeming features, but he had a violent temper and was licentious. Monica also had to bear with a cantankerous mother-in-law who lived in her home. Patricius criticized his wife because of her charity and piety, but always respected her. Monica’s prayers and example finally won her husband and mother-in-law to Christianity. Her husband died in 371, one year after his baptism.

Monica had at least three children who survived infancy. The oldest, Augustine, is the most famous. At the time of his father’s death, Augustine was 17 and a rhetoric student in Carthage. Monica was distressed to learn that her son had accepted the Manichean heresy—”all flesh is evil”—and was living an immoral life. For a while, she refused to let him eat or sleep in her house. Then one night she had a vision that assured her Augustine would return to the faith. From that time on, she stayed close to her son, praying and fasting for him. In fact she often stayed much closer than Augustine wanted.

When he was 29, Augustine decided to go to Rome to teach rhetoric. Monica was determined to go along. One night he told his mother that he was going to the dock to say goodbye to a friend. Instead he set sail for Rome. Monica was heartbroken when she learned of Augustine’s trick, but she still followed him. She arrived in Rome only to find that he had left for Milan. Although travel was difficult, Monica pursued him to Milan.

In Milan, Augustine came under the influence of the bishop, Saint Ambrose, who also became Monica’s spiritual director. She accepted his advice in everything and had the humility to give up some practices that had become second nature to her. Monica became a leader of the devout women in Milan as she had been in Tagaste.

She continued her prayers for Augustine during his years of instruction. At Easter 387, Saint Ambrose baptized Augustine and several of his friends. Soon after, his party left for Africa. Although no one else was aware of it, Monica knew her life was near the end. She told Augustine, “Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight. I do not know what there is now left for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled.” She became ill shortly after and suffered severely for nine days before her death.

Almost all we know about St. Monica is in the writings of Saint Augustine, especially his Confessions.


St. Monica, pray for us.


 GOD BLESS YOU

Good morning. Have a nice day

Happy feast of St.  Monica.