The Memorial of St Elizabeth of Hungary

2 Macc. 7:1-20-31, Lk. 19:11-28. Today's first reading gives the account of the seven sons of a Hebrew woman who gives us an insight to the lives of the resolute believers. The Maccabean mother urges her sons to be faithful to the gifts of life which God has given them and she promises that they will experience God’s life in a new and better way. Although she loved her sons very much, she knew that God is more important than her wishes for a comfortable life for her sons. With absolute faith in God, they remained firm and committed themselves wholeheartedly to God despite the sufferings and trials they faced. They died one after the other before their mother with courage and faith in God. When the king tried to persuade the last son by asking the mother to ask her son to apostatise, the mother instead encouraged her son to remain faithful.

The living God loves His creatures with the same concern as a mother has for a child in her womb and this divine love embraces faithful people even through the shadow of death. In the parable of the talents in today's Gospel, Jesus indirectly referred to how Herod the Great fled for his life from Jerusalem, made his way to Rome and charmed the emperor Augustus into supporting him, then returned to take over as king of Israel. “Use them or lose them” applies to every human ability. Jesus teaches us that, whoever uses their talents for the service of others will be given more; but those who share nothing with others will lose the little they have. Much thought of the future can distract us from the present. What matters is that we courageously use the resources the Lord has given us for the service of others. The servant who nervously hid his money safely had the wrong approach to life. In using our resources we may sometimes make mistakes, but Jesus sees efforts that fail as preferable to fearful inactivity. St Elizabeth of Hungary puts her talents into use in her care for the poor. She was a princess of Hungary who was betrothed and married at a young age to the lord of Thuringia in Germany. She was influenced by St Francis of Assisi and other contemporary saints and holy people to lead a life that is virtuous and worthy of God.

May our lives be filled with God's compassion and give us the spirit of forgiveness and a generous heart! Amen!! Good morning and have a great day!!!