BEING FAITHFUL AND INDUSTRIOUS: To be part of the the Kingdom of God
Introduction: We are drawing close to the end of the liturgical year. Jesus invites us to take stock of our lives. Through the parable of the talents God reveals the trust and the generosity towards everyone of us. He constantly and continuously lavishes His graces upon us. All we need to do is to be faithful in small matters. God does not ask us to perform any super human activities or extra-ordinary feats. What He wants from us is to make use of our God given talents and abilities for the glory of God and for the benefit of the humankind. It is in using our talents that we share God's love to fellow humans and to the world around us.
First Reading: Proverbs 31: 10 to 13, 19 to 20 and 30 to 31
Second Reading: 1Thessaloninans 5: 1 to 6
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25: 14 to 30
*First reading is from the book of Proverbs. An ideal wife's qualities are narrated. She is hardworking and a support to the husband. She is always charitable to the poor and the needy. Hence, such a person is more precious and valuable than any jewels that can be acquired.
*Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. Paul exhorts the Christian community at Thessalonica that they should be always ready for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. It will be unexpected and sudden like that of a thief coming at night. He encourages them that as children of the light, they should keep awake for the coming of the Lord Jesus.
The parable of the talents Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable of the talents is narrated in detail. There are three servants and their Master in the parable. The Master gives a certain sum of money 'talents' to his servants and he goes on a long journey. The first and the second servants are industrious and hard-working. However, the third servant is lazy and a man of excuses. On his return, the Master calls all the three servants and asks for an account of the money he had entrusted to them. All of them report how they utilized the 'talents' given to them. The Master praises the first and the second servant for their hard work and shrewdness as they multiplied their 'talents' and added returns to their Master's money. But the third servant is severely chastised for his laziness and lack of resourcefulness as he simply buried the 'talent' given to him and made no effort to make it productive. If we bury our talents and never use it like the third servant, we can never grow. Sooner or later harvest time comes for everyone. Then the question asked is: What have you done with your talents, with yourself and with your life? Jesus tells this parable to explain to his disciples how we are to make us of our God given abilities and 'talents' in our daily lives. The parable is certainly not about making money or about accumulating wealth at any cost. In this context St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta says: "It is more important to be faithful than to be successful."
Conclusion: Through this parable, Jesus is explaining to us about using our God given precious gifts and talents and grow as children of God and useful members of the society. It is by living that we discover our talents and it is by using them that we grow. In spite of some negative aspects in the parable, it has a lot of positive and encouraging words. Two out of three servants heard those magic words from the Master: 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' To all who are doing their best - to live good lives- the Lord is speaking those words of encouragement. Hence, the parable reveals the trust, the confidence and the generosity of God towards each one of us. All of us are invited to respond to it whole-heartedly.
May the heavenly Father, who has given you many wonderful 'talents', may find you always faithful and industrious and bless you with the words: 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' Amen.
(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph on YouTube follows. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version. Thanks.)
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