From the Desk of Father Barry - November 15, 2020

I remember growing up and being very excited about the new television season starting. Dallas is one that sticks out the most. All summer we heard the advertisements, “who shot JR.” And it was a well anticipated cliff hanger that the previous season had left viewers hanging on to! As the seasons went on, they became even more intriguing, almost veering from the first season completely, and toward the end I didn’t really find it as interesting. It’s all too much. In other words, many TV producers feel that every new season has to outdo the previous one. It’s not ok to simply redo what has worked in the past. That’s not good enough. More is better. And the same, well, is bad. What’s wrong with staying the same? “Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said . . . ‘Here it is back.’” That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Our Gospel parable from Matthew this week is one we have heard many times before. A master is going on a journey, and leaves money “talents” with each of his three servants, according to each’s ability. When he returns, two of the servants have used the money well, and have more to give back than what they were entrusted with. But the third servant did absolutely nothing with the money, burying it in the ground out of fear. And, well, his master is not pleased, to put it mildly. I wonder if that third servant had any idea his master would react that way. If you think about it, he actually did the safe thing. And he didn’t lose anything. Not a cent. He probably thought it would be completely ok to be able to say to his master, “Here it is back.” Or put another way, “See . . . everything’s exactly the same as when you left.” Usually, when this story is read at Mass, the priest or deacon will talk about the importance of using the gifts God has given us. And that absolutely is a valid way to interpret this story, and certainly the most common. But what if we just broaden the scope of the story a little bit, step back and see a slightly bigger picture? What if the things we are burying in the ground are not simply our gifts, but actually our whole selves? I guess I should be happy that the makers of the shows I like are trying new things, trying to make better shows, trying to improve on what is already pretty good. And that goes for any other products too . . . cars, phones, food, lodging, whatever. I should be glad that there are many people in business who don’t simply adopt the status quo and say, “Everything is just fine the way it is.” Rather, I should be grateful that there are people constantly wondering, “What can we do better? What can we make better? And in some cases, whose lives can we make better? And I know that the pursuit of money drives many of these things I’m talking about . . . but at least there is a sincere realization that there is always room for improvement, always an opportunity to make a step forward, always an opportunity for something to be more tomorrow than it is today. Do we feel the same way, do we participate the same way? Have a blessed week, and be more today than you were yesterday! Fr. Barry