Daily Gospel Reflection

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November 19, 2023

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mt 25:14-30
Listen to the Audio Version

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man 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 the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master’s money.

After a long time
the master of those servants came back
and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents came forward
bringing the additional five.
He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
‘Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.’
His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'”

Reflection

Sabrina Curran '23
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The world goes round because each human being, made in the image and likeness of God, is blessed with their own God-given gifts. Much like the Thanksgiving feast that we are all preparing for later this week, each individual brings something different to the table and receives the opportunity to share their uniqueness with others.

I graduated from Notre Dame this past spring with a degree in finance. I intentionally discerned my worldly purpose throughout my time, particularly in one of my favorite courses, “Why Business?”

The course, foundational to our Catholic curriculum, prompts students to ask themselves the title’s question and invites them to consider how they may contribute to perpetuating an ethical business society using their divine gifts. These difficult questions take ample time and deep thought to answer, but they can bring great hope and clarity to college students who seek a career that will provide them with joy and fulfillment.

Today’s gospel calls us to consider how we spread our gifts to others. Do we recognize what uniqueness God has blessed us with? If so, are we actively leaning into those strengths each day or burying them deep down where no one may witness nor benefit from them? What are we doing each day to cultivate these talents further, as the savvy and faithful servants have done in the parable?

As the holiday of Thanksgiving draws near, may we express deep gratitude to our good and loving God for the unique gifts that he has bestowed upon us. May we also thank our family and friends for recognizing and valuing the qualities that make us who we are. Together, we bring our strengths to the table and contribute to a feast everyone may enjoy.

Prayer

Rev. Michael Thomas, C.S.C.

You, Father, share your very life with us: the fire of your love. Your love burns away our sin and shines into the corners of our darkness. Your love and mercy clean and save us, painfully proving that we need cleaning and saving. Sometimes we want to forget our neediness, so we bury your love in the cold earth, afraid of the promise of mercy. But to those who have your love, more will be given. Multiply your life in us, and give us the courage to multiply on earth the shining mercy you place in our trembling hands. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Raphael Kalinowski

St. Raphael Kalinowski had a brilliant mind and a faithful heart that he used to spread the faith in Poland at the end of the 1800s. He survived ten years in a labor camp in Siberia before becoming a Carmelite priest.

He was born in 1835 to a noble family in Vilnius—his father taught mathematics and served as superintendent of the local boarding school for nobles. Raphael attended this school and graduated with honors in 1850.

Opportunities for further education were limited, so Raphael joined the Russian army that he might study at an engineering academy. He later was assigned as professor of mathematics at the academy, and helped to design railroads.

He was promoted to captain, but his heart was with the oppressed Poles of his homeland. He resigned from the army and joined resistance efforts, helping to lead a major uprising. He was captured and sentenced to die by firing squad. When his family intervened, Russian authorities feared that if they killed him, he would inspire more trouble as a political martyr. They sentenced him to ten years in a Siberian labor camp instead.

Over the course of nine months, he was forcibly marched to a labor camp in Siberia—many did not survive the journey, but Raphael had a hidden strength, and became a leader to other prisoners. He labored in salt mines there for ten years.

After his release, he returned to Poland, and became a tutor to the young prince, August Czartoryski. The prince suffered from tuberculosis, and Raphael accompanied him as he sought medical treatment and favorable climates; he had a profound influence on the young man’s life. The prince eventually became a priest and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

Throughout his travels, Raphael became aware of the Russian persecution of the Church and of the people of his homeland. He entered a community of Carmelites in 1877 and was ordained a priest five years later. His leadership skills were recognized, and he was named superior of the community. He went on to found a number of new monasteries throughout Poland.

Raphael died of tuberculosis at the age of 72 in Wadowice, Poland—the same town in which Pope John Paul II was born in 14 years later. His tomb became a place of pilgrimage—so many people would take handfuls of dirt from his grave that the nuns who oversaw the cemetery had to continually replace the earth and plants there.

Pope John Paul II counted Raphael as one of his boyhood heroes, and canonized him a saint in 1991—the first member of this Carmelite community to be named a saint since its founder, St. John of the Cross.

St. Raphael Kalinowski, you were the hero of Pope John Paul II who survived a Siberian labor camp to spread the faith in Poland—pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Raphael Kalinowski is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 18, 2024.