Rector’s
Reflection
“What you are
is a gift from God, what you become is your gift to God”
Hans Urs von
Balthasar
We
all remember the parable of the talents (Matthew25:14 -30) where the servants
are given the ‘talents’ according to their ability and entrusted with them with
varying results.
This
is an amazing parable and it speaks deeply to us all. For as the 20th
Century Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar puts it we are all born with
our own special gifts, freely given, but it is what we do with them with our
lives that really counts. What we become, how we use our lives is in other
words, our gift to God.
As
human beings we are formed by what we do in our lives, to ourselves and to
others, it is the actions we take, the decisions we make that ultimately are
what we become, and what we do over the years slowly creates the person, body
and soul.
What
we do in our lives really matters, the innocent child can become a saint or a
monster, it all depends on so many factors, some we can influence, some we
cannot. But we can all choose, we can choose the path of faith, hope and love
or we can walk away. When we choose to follow that path, when we choose to use
the gifts we have been given in service to our creator we return fully to God
the gift we have been given.
The
gift of life is a special one, precious and unique to each individual born on
the earth, I am currently thinking a lot about new life and how we celebrate
the birth of future generations as I prepare to Baptize Granddaughters
Elizabeth Rose in September and Millie Skye after Iain and Charlotte’s Wedding
in December, I always end my baptismal sermons with these words, which I hope
offer encouragement for who and what they will become.
“May you
shine as a beacon of hope and love to your life’s end”
I
pray that we all can shine as lights in our world today as we give thanks for
the gift of life and offer all we have become to each other and to our loving,
life affirming God.
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