Please bring a plate for tonight as we farewell Sophie Bird after Mass!  Sophie is moving to Launceston to join the rest of her family now that she has finished her Year 12 exams.  Sophie and her family have made a wonderful contribution to our local church through their many years of altar serving and helping with preparation for Mass.  Thank you, Sophie, for all your years of service – we will miss you!

But while God takes away, He also gives back in plenty!  So today we unexpectedly welcome nine new members: young men from East Timor on the Pacific Nations Seasonal Workers’ Program.  Bem-vindos!  Gil, Thomas and the team will be working at Jason Neave’s farm in Carabooda for the next six months.  Please give them your hospitality to make their stay here easier!

This brings me to the theme of this Sunday’s readings: the Parable of the Talents.  The more we share our faith (invest our talents), the more our faith grows (talents at compound interest)!  Awful warning: if we keep our faith to ourselves, we are likely to lose it!  Similarly, the more we share God’s Divine Mercy, the more we are likely to receive it with interest.  And so on.  Listen to Fr Robert Barron’s explanation here:

 

More here:

Today’s readings can be downloaded here:

Word format:Year A 33rd Sunday

Pdf format: Year A 33rd Sunday

For a scripture study on the readings, Michael Barber does a great job here.