“When someone is given a great deal, a great deal will be demanded of that person; when someone is entrusted with a great deal, of that person even more will be expected.”
This excerpt from this past Wednesday’s Gospel reading from Luke struck me as an important lesson for all Christians, and especially for those of us called to ministry, to keep in mind. As members of the Church, of the Body of Christ, we have been gifted and entrusted with many blessings and privileges. God reveals His love for us through Scripture and the friends and neighbors that touch our lives, as well as through the many challenges we face on our journey of faith, and we must remember to give thanks to God for these blessings. In addition to these blessings, God has entrusted with the preservation and encouragement of faith and love in His name here on earth. In hearing God’s word, we are reminded that we have been blessed with a responsibility to share and spread God’s message in our daily lives.
I felt that this message of the Gospel came at an important time for Teach Bhríde and for me personally. The month of October has been an exciting one for both our ministry and personal lives. We have celebrated our first primary school class masses, made a trip to Dublin for our second ACE Advocacy Mass, and have had organizational meetings for sacramental preparation programmes. Last weekend, we celebrated Cameron and Joy’s birthday weekend with many friends from the parish, and this week we had the privilege of enjoying some opera dress rehearsals as well as other festivities around the town in celebration of the opening of the Wexford Opera Festival. We have been blessed with many wonderful activities to fill our days, and the days are both fulfilling and exhausting. Through the hectic schedule, it can sometimes be easy to let fatigue distract our focus from God’s calling to be present in love and support to everyone in our lives.
God has blessed and entrusted us with wonderful communities and opportunities for spiritual expression and strengthening, and we have an important responsibility to live our lives with great enthusiasm and spirit of charity. Even when we feel tired, overwhelmed, or ineffective, we are called to share God’s good news with others, and this sharing of God’s love has the power to uplift all of us. Remembering our Christian responsibility to each other and to God can help us to stay vigilant and passionate in our ministry, and the many wonderful friends and engagements that Teach Bhríde V has been blessed with serve as constant reminders of the presence of God’s love with us.
Thanks be to God for the loving community and incredible opportunities He has blessed us with, and may we celebrate with great enthusiasm and passion the gifts of love and faith to which He has entrusted us. I hope everyone has a great week and God Bless!
Peace,
Ben
