'Tis also the festival of Saint William of Roskilde, Bishop (died circa 1074): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Tis also the festival of Saint Ingrid of Skänninge, Abbess, O.P. (died 1282, A.K.A. of Sweden): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Jean-François Burté, Priest (O.F.M. Conv.), & Companions, Martyrs (died 1792-1794), martyred in the reign of successive French revolutionary governments: Martyrs-link ūnus, Martyrs-link duo, & Martyrs-link trēs; Martyr-link Juliett Foxtrot Bravo, Martyr-link Alpha, & Martyr-link Juliett Bravo Tango; Wikipedia-link Martyrs & Wikipedia-link Massacres.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter four, verses nine, ten, & eleven;
Psalm Ninety-eight, verses one, seven & eight, & nine;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-five, verses fourteen thru thirty.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today's Gospel gives us the challenging parable of the talents. A man goes on a journey, but before leaving he entrusts his money to three of his servants. To one he gives five talents, to a second, two and to a third, one.Video reflection by Father Nicholas Vaskov: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The first man trades with the five talents. The second does the same, and both receive a rich return on their investment. The third man cautiously buries his talent. When the owner returns, he praises the first two servants and gives them greater responsibilities, but the third man he upbraids.
Jesus loved to use examples drawn from the world of business. And he especially liked this dynamic of investment as a model of the spiritual life. The reason is clear, and I've said it to you often. God exists in gift form. Therefore, if you want his life in you, you have to learn to give it away. Think of the talents as everything that we've received from God—life, breath, being, and powers. Because they come from God, they are meant to become gifts. If you cling to them, in the manner of the third servant, they don't grow; in fact, they wither away.
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