Praised be Jesus and Mary, now and forever.
The readings of today's Mass explain to us that where there are great gifts, there are also great responsibilities.
The first reading comes from the Prophet Amos, where he says, or the Lord says through his prophet, you alone have I favored more than all the families of the earth, therefore I will punish you for all your crimes.
God favored his people in the Old Testament by giving them the true faith, true religion, knowledge of God, knowledge of his ways.
He gave them special protection, and as the Prophet also mentioned, he freed them miraculously from slavery in Egypt.
So the Israelites, they were favored more than all the families of the earth by God, therefore they are much more responsible than all of the other nations for their sins.
And so God says, therefore I will punish you for all your crimes.
There are some other parts of scripture that mention the same thing.
Our Lord himself, in St. Luke's Gospel, chapter 12, verse 48, says, everyone to whom much is given of him will much be required.
And in St. James, in his letter, chapter 3, verse 1,  is discouraging some of the brethren from actually taking on the role of teachers of the faith, because they will be judged more strictly.
He says, let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness.
And so what have we been given?
What have we been entrusted with as the new people of God?
We've been given the fullness of the faith, the fullness of the truth.
We've been given the fullness of the means of grace with the sacraments.
And so we have greater responsibility as Catholics to become the saints that God has called us to be.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.