Our Venerable Father Alypius the Stylite (610-41); James the Hermit (457); The Blessing of the Church of the Holy Great-Martyr George which is in Kiev, before the Gates of Holy Wisdom Cathedral (1019-54)
Nativity Fast.
Read
2 Thessalonians 1:10-2:2; Luke 12:42-48
“For all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from you the Father of Lights…”
I’m reminded at every Divine Liturgy when I pray the ambo prayer of the great love of God for all of us in providing all that we need for our lives. Everything we have in this life is a gift from God. Our first responsibility as Christians is to always thank God for the gifts he gives us in our life!
Our second responsibility is to be good stewards of the gifts of God. Jesus reminds us of this responsibility in the Gospel reading, illustrating for us that with good stewardship comes greater gifts and blessings but with bad stewardship, punishment. He does this not to scare us but to gently remind us that the gifts of God are not meant to be collected and stored but to be shared with others.
Give thanks to God for the gifts he has given you by being a good steward of those gifts and sharing them with others.