Message from Fr. D. Ryan Saunders

St. David Catholic Parish

Dear Saint David Family,

One of the greatest challenges we face today is finding time for the things that really matter. Between work, family responsibilities, school activities, appointments, and everything else that fills our calendars, it often feels as though there simply aren't enough hours in the day. And unfortunately, one of the first things we tend to push aside is our relationship with God.

In this Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 25:1-13), Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five were wise and came prepared with enough oil for their lamps, while the other five were caught unprepared. The message is simple, but it speaks directly to the way we live our lives today: We cannot keep putting off what matters most.

How often do we tell ourselves, "I'll get back to Mass when things settle down," or "I'll make more time for prayer when I'm not so busy"? Perhaps it's a conversation we've been avoiding, someone we need to forgive, or a family member we've been meaning to spend more time with. We convince ourselves that there will always be another opportunity. But the reality is that life doesn't always give us the time we think we have.

I think that is what makes this Gospel so important. Jesus isn't asking us to spend our days worrying about when He will come again. He is reminding us not to become so distracted by the demands of everyday life that we forget to live the life He has called us to live.

The oil in the lamps represents something that cannot be borrowed or gathered at the last minute: a relationship with God that has been built and nurtured over time. Just as our relationships with family and friends require attention, so does our relationship with the Lord. We cannot expect that relationship to grow if we never make time for Him. And making that time doesn't always require something extraordinary. Sometimes it means putting down our phones and being present to the people sitting across from us. It means taking a few minutes to pray before the day begins, choosing patience when we're frustrated, making Sunday Mass a priority, or reaching out to someone who may be struggling. These are the ordinary moments in which our faith becomes something more than what we profess on Sunday. It becomes the way we live throughout the week.

During this month of November, as we remember our deceased loved ones, we are also reminded of how precious and unpredictable life can be. Many of us know what it feels like to wish we had made one more phone call, spent a little more time together, or said something we never got around to saying. Those experiences remind us not to take tomorrow for granted. Perhaps the invitation of this Sunday's Gospel is simply to stop waiting for the perfect time to do what we already know is important.

Make the phone call. Offer the forgiveness. Spend time with your family. Return to prayer. Come back to the sacraments. Don't wait until life becomes less complicated to make room for God. The Lord isn't asking us to have everything figured out. He is asking us to be faithful in the life we have been given today.

My prayer for all of us this week is that we recognize the opportunities God places before us each day to grow closer to Him and to one another. May we never become so busy preparing for tomorrow that we forget to live our faith today. God bless you and your families!

In Christ,

Fr. D. Ryan Saunders
Pastor