Sunday Gospel Reflection, November 15, 2026: Well done, my good and faithful servant!

 

Well done, my good and faithful servant!
What do we do with the gifts we have been given? 

    When the author of the Book of Proverbs devotes several verses to describing a worthy wife, it is not immediately evident that the text is in fact written to a young man who is being trained by the queen mother, so that he might cultivate healthier relationships with women and with society. The wife described here is personified Wisdom; her husband entrusts his heart to her, walking the journey side by side with her. Lady Wisdom herself trusts in the Lord and, as a result, is a priceless partner, a woman of many gifts, and an unfailing prize whose value is far beyond pearls. Like her, the young man is called to trust in the Lord, accepting his gifts, that he too might appreciate God’s power in his life and allow God to work through him to accomplish much and to live in right relationship with God and with other. Psalm 128 describes in detail the reward for such a virtuous life, which is virtue itself! Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. The pilgrim on this journey walks with God, embracing the Lord’s presence in his life. 

    In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is similarly focused upon the gifts he has bestowed on his disciples and the use they will make of them as they go out into the world to spread the good news. In the parable of the talents, each servant is given money, trust, and the time to accomplish something with what they have been given. The master wants them to succeed and deals with each according to his ability. Unfortunately, the third servant, who received only one talent, does not live up to his potential. Acting out of fear, he buries his master’s money, refusing to take a risk, remaining immobile rather than trusting in his master’s confidence in him.

    God plants in all of us the ability to open our hearts, but we have to go out and do something with the gifts we are given. Fear often keeps us from doing what we know the Lord wants us to do. When fear drives us, it’s often hard to choose Christ. Paul knows the Thessalonians have managed just this: they do not live in fear because they are children of the light, ready to welcome the Lord when he comes again, living in right relationship, hearts open to all God has been accomplishing in their lives. Are we? 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture Class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Let this longing become a love song (Brother Isaiah)

For you my soul thirsts... 

--Psalm 63:2

Let this poor heart be your mountain,
Be your mountain, the mountain where you dwell, o Lord
Let this poor heart be your mountain,
Be your mountain, the mountain where you dwell, o Lord 

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah 

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah 

Let this hunger become a pathway
Become a pathway that brings you here to me, o Lord
Let this hunger become a pathway
Become a pathway that brings you here to me, o Lord
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah 

Fire, fall down
Thunder, surround
Glory, come down (2x) 

And let this longing become a love song,
Become a love song that you teach my heart to sing, o Lord
And let this desire become a fire,
Become a fire burning deep and bright in me, o Lord 

Fire, fall down
Thunder, surround
Glory, come down (4 x) 

Let this poor heart be your mountain,
Be your mountain, the mountain where you dwell, o Lord

To hear Brother Isaiah (now Father Isaiah!) sing Holy Hunger, click on the video below: 

Image source: Hawaii’s Mt. Kilauea erupts, sending fire into the air, https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/05/us/hawaii-kilauea-volcano-eruption-cnnphotos/ Video source

Bless those who have served (A Prayer)

God of peace, 

We pray that you bless all those who have served their country through service in the armed forces. Grant healing to those veterans who have been wounded, be it in body, mind or soul. 

We pray especially for those young men and women who come home to lives of suffering and loneliness. Offer them the solace that only You can, and may we pray for them often, especially when they feel they cannot pray. Echoing John Paul II, as a way to honor all the veterans of past wars, we ask for an end to wars and the dawning of a new era of peace. 

Lord, have mercy. Bring peace to our hearts, the hearts of all veterans and to the regions in which they fought. Grant, we pray, the creative vision to see a world that, weary with fighting, affirms the life of every human being and so moves beyond war. 

Prince of peace, hear our prayer, 

Amen. 

Image source: World War II veteran Witold Brick, right, is escorted to a wreath-laying during a Veterans Day event at the World War II Memorial in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2025-11-11/veterans-day-ceremony-wwii-memorial-19731634.html
Prayer source

Seeking, finding, and serving God (Jackie Bacon)

     Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

--Matthew 25

    When the bridegroom finally comes, all the virgins awaken and trim their lamps in order to have wicks the correct size so that the flame isn’t too tall, putting black smoke stains on the glass lamps. The foolish virgins realize too late that they don’t have enough oil, thus declaring to all that they are not prepared. 

    What stands out in my mind is how long it seems to take the foolish virgins to realize they don’t have enough oil and are not ready to meet the Bridegroom, their Savior. Isn’t that one of the most important things we should be doing: looking towards our Savior? 

    The last words of our reading today sends a vital message, a true life lesson (at least into my heart). The message is: Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour. This is not about doing good deeds that will balance out our poor behavior. This is not about some sort of tallying system (the Good & the Bad) in a Book of Reckoning up in heaven. This reading and many other readings speak about the futility of trying to “earn” your way into heaven, into a good relationship with God. 

    What is important is that at any given moment we need to be in a right relationship with God, and we do that by seeking, by finding, and by serving God in every single experience or encounter we have throughout every day. 

--Jackie Bacon,
OLMC Communion Service,
November 22, 2022

Image source 1: https://tomperna.org/2013/08/30/the-bridegroom-ten-maidens-and-a-marriage-feast/
Image source 2:  Parable of the Ten Virgins, window, St. Ulrich d'Altenstadt, France, https://www.facebook.com/martine.gilhard/posts/28945393791748973/

Even in the darkest moments of grief (Fr. Patrick van der Vorst)

    One of the moments when we feel our own weakness most acutely is in times of sorrow. Grief has a way of stripping away our illusions of self-sufficiency. When faced with loss, disappointment, illness or death, we often discover that no amount of planning, strength or determination can shield us from pain. It is precisely in such moments that today’s Gospel becomes especially consoling. Jesus does not promise that his disciples will never suffer; rather, he promises that they will never suffer alone. 

    Paul Cézanne’s La Douleur (Sorrow) captures this with extraordinary sensitivity. The painting depicts Mary Magdalene overwhelmed by grief after the crucifixion of Christ. Her head is bowed, her body seems weighed down by sadness, and the entire composition is infused with a profound sense of loss. Yet Cézanne appears to hint at something more. Above her head are three swirling, flame-like forms that resemble tongues of fire. They evoke the image of the Holy Spirit descending at Pentecost. It is as if the artist is reminding us that even in the darkest moments of grief, God never abandons us. The Spirit hovers quietly over our sorrow, not always removing the pain, but accompanying us through it. 

--Fr. Patrick van der Vorst

In November we remember All Souls...

Source of image & quotation: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-10-16-23-2026/

Holy Wisdom (Sr. Patricia Bruno OP)

    Is it not Wisdom, who spirits our gardens and oceans as we play in the abundant beauty that surrounds us? 

    Is it not Wisdom, who sits at our kitchen table as we discuss the events of the day, measuring our wealth by what we share with others? 

    Is it not Wisdom, who plays in our sandboxes with our children when generosity is taught, forgiveness is given, and justice is rewarded? 

    Is it not She, who helps us keep a compassionate silence in the face of suffering? 

    Yes, Holy Wisdom delights in us. 

    We will never understand the mystery that the poet of Proverbs explores, but if we sit in silence with the barn doors open wide, Wisdom will feed our imaginations so that our spirits will rise and be able to enter into the dance of praise and gratitude. And don’t worry. Even if our legs are a bit old, we’ll be able to join in the dance because we know the steps by heart. 

--Sr. Patricia Bruno OP 

Image source: Emily K. Grieves, Wisdom’s Table (2017). https://www.emilykgrievesart.com/images/wisdoms-table
Quotation source

The lamp of our faith (Pope Francis)

    The condition for being prepared for the encounter with the Lord is not only faith, but a Christian life abundant with love and charity for our neighbour. If we allow ourselves to be guided by what seems more comfortable, by seeking our own interests, then our life becomes barren, incapable of giving life to others, and we accumulate no reserve of oil for the lamp of our faith. 

--Pope Francis 

Image source: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1323834017/christ-oil-lamp-faith-israel-christian
Quotation source