September 02, 2017

Gospel: Mt 25:14-30
Imagine someone who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each, according to his ability; and he went away. He who received five talents went at once to do business with the talents, and gained another five. The one who received two talents did the same, and gained another two. But the one who received one talent dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master‘s money.
After a long time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. The one who had received five talents came with another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with five talents, but see, I have gained five more.‘ The master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.‘ Then the one who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with two talents; with them I have gained two more.‘ The master said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in little things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.‘
Finally, the one who had received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I know that you are a hard man. You reap what you have not sown, and gather what you have not scattered. I was afraid, so I hid your money in the ground. Here, take what is yours!‘ But his master replied, ‘Wicked and worthless servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered. You should have deposited my money in the bank, and given it back to me with interest on my return.
Therefore, take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who are unproductive, even what they have will be taken from them. As for that useless servant, throw him out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.‘

REFLECTION:
Often referred to as the Parable of the Talents, this story like yesterday‘s parable deals with the proper attitude and behavior in view of the Second Coming of Jesus. What is recommended is responsible stewardship, i.e., making prudent use of all the talents and blessings entrusted to us, according to the intention of the God who is the giver of all good gifts.
The master showed how much he trusted the servants. He considered them honest and competent enough to handle the responsibility of taking care of his property. The first two servants had proven themselves dependable. They had worked hard and had even doubled their master‘s money. Is this the way we work for the kingdom of God? How have we used the blessings God has given us? Have we used them to promote the growth of the kingdom of God?
The third servant showed that he did not deserve the master‘s trust. He had been selfish, thinking only of himself. He played it safe. He was lazy and mediocre. He was minimalistic and scared to take risks. Do we sometimes excuse ourselves from doing something to help the poor, the suffering, or the elderly because we think we have nothing much to give them?