Reading 1
1 Thes 4:9-11
Brothers and sisters:
On the subject of fraternal charity
you have no need for anyone to write you,
for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
Indeed, you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia.
Nevertheless we urge you, brothers and sisters, to progress even more,
and to aspire to live a tranquil life,
to mind your own affairs,
and to work with your own hands,
as we instructed you.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:1, 7-8, 9R. (9)
The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Gospel
Mt 25:14-30
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master’s money.
After a long time
the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents
came forward bringing the additional five.
He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
‘Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.’
His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’'
Meditation: Matthew 25:14-30
Well done, my good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)
Let’s take a slightly different approach to this parable today. We often look at ourselves in terms of the one-talent servant—and our only talent is “church!” To use this talent means to pray, evangelize, and be involved in ministry. If we’re not doing enough of these things, it means we’re shirking our responsibility, and we stand a good chance of ending up like this unfortunate man, who was so scared of making a mistake that he did nothing.
But instead of thinking of ourselves this way, let’s imagine we are the five- and two-talent servants. We do have more than one talent, after all—and they are not all spiritual ones. As a loving Father, God gives his children many gifts. He created us with a body and mind as well as a spirit, and he has given us talents in all of these areas. He wants us to have an “abundant life”(John 10:10), and that means developing our full potential and being involved in the world in every good and wholesome way.
When God created the world, he looked at what he had made and saw that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). He sent Jesus to save our whole being, not just our souls, and to bring “all things” to himself (Colossians 1:20). God loves his creation so much that he wants to give it new life—and that means all of it. Anything we do in Christ, provided it is done in love, can be redeemed for his kingdom. And if we focus only on the spiritual and ignore everything else, our spiritual life will suffer—much like a car with plenty of gas but no air in the tires!
What talents do you have? Remember: Something as ordinary as improving your golf game, becoming a better cook or artist, or being the absolute best at your job can draw you closer to God. Accept these skills as gifts from a loving God. Develop them in a way that glorifies the Lord. Keep working at them. Keep offering them to God, even as you enjoy them. And know that God is very pleased with you.
“Father, thank you for giving me so many wonderful gifts! Help me to develop them to their greatest potential, and to use them all for your glory."
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