Elizabeth of Hungary – Luke 19:11-28
Today, we hear the familiar parable of Jesus, of the servants who are given gold coins by their master to invest & to use wisely. Yet, one servant hides his coin out of fear & does not do anything with it. Like these servants, much has been entrusted in us by God: our gifts, our talents, our faith, & God’s holy word. How do we use all that God has given us wisely & lovingly? How do we share the word of God with others & proclaim his kingdom throughout the earth?
We have a great example in our saint for today, Elizabeth of Hungary, who lived way back in the early 13th century & who died at the very young age of 23. The daughter of the King of Hungary, Elizabeth married into a royal family in a principality in present-day Germany. She could have lived a very luxurious & pampered lifestyle, but instead she chose a life of penance, prayer, & service. She distributed hundreds of loaves of bread daily to the poor of her kingdom. Her husband died in one of the Crusades, & his family tried to take political power away from her. After her husband’s death, Elizabeth devoted her life to the foundation of a hospital for the poor where she worked serving others & where she died at such a young age.
We can hide the gifts & the faith that God has given to us – we can use these gifts for selfish & self-centered purposes. Or, we can do what Elizabeth of Hungary did – following God with our whole hearts & serving him according to his will in our lives. The choice is ours.
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