"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.'"

Matthew 25:21

This Sunday's gospel reading (Matthew 25:14-30) is the parable of the talents.  A master leaves for a long journey, leaving talents (money) to his three servants.  Two of his servants go off and use the money he's given them to earn more.  The third servant buries his talent in the ground.  Upon his return, the master celebrates with his two servants, saying (above), "Well done, my good and faithful servant."  The third servant, who buried his talent, is reprimanded and thrown out.

God has given us talents, gifts, and abilities, and He has given them to us for a reason.  He wants us to use them to serve Him and others.  

What good are our talents if we bury them in the sand?  

We must each discern what talents God has given us and how He wants us to use them to further His kingdom.  

This is the focus of this week's family meeting:

Catholic Family Meeting {Prep for Sunday, November 9}

Preparing for this week's family meeting was the first time I've heard of The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.  The Lateran Basilica is the Pope's cathedral and is known as "the mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world".  Information for this feast can be found here at Catholic Culture.

Sunday's second reading explains that God created us to be His temple.  "Do you know that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16).  If we truly believe that we are all created as temples of God, then that should dictate how we treat our bodies and how we treat others.  

The gospel then tells the familiar story of Jesus cleaning the temple of those who were not treating it with the proper respect.  And later, Jesus refers to himself as the temple that will be destroyed and raised again three days later.

"As we celebrate the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, we focus on how Jesus cleansed the Temple, challenging us to respect his Father's house and all that it stands for, especially his people." - Loyola Press

Here is this week's family meeting:

Catholic Family Meeting {Prep for Sunday, November 2}

I don't know about you, but this time of year gets so busy with fall activities, Halloween, and the impending cold of winter.  

This week there are three important holidays:  Halloween (Friday), All Saints Day (Saturday), and All Souls Day (Sunday).  

I have not been good in the past with celebrating All Saints or All Souls Day, except with going to mass.  This year I really want to do better, but as I said, things have been hectic.  So I'm aiming to have my family celebrate these two special days with limited preparation or time.  

This week's family meeting focuses mainly on All Souls Day, as that is Sunday's mass.  However, I tried to tie in a little about All Saints Day in some of the family activities.  

Check it out and I hope you have a wonderful week of celebrating!