These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, August 28

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man going on a journey 
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– 
to each according to his ability.” (Mt 25:14-30)

In the Parable of the Talents it’s always good to remember that in the Bible a talent is not necessarily an ability . . . rather it is a measure of money, lots and lots of money—over a million dollars! So the Parable that Jesus tells is not an illustration from everyday life—rather the parable is about the Kingdom of God. As Saint Augustine regretted not having spent more of his life working for the Kingdom, he prayed to God: “Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!” Today is also my mom’s anniversary. She has been gone 25 years. And like Saint Monica asked her son Augustine to do, it is my privilege to remember my mom always at the Altar of the Lord.