15 November 2020: Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
SHARING THE LIVING WORD
by FR. ANthony, Parochial Vicar
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,
Mother Theresa of Calcutta was summoned to the court on the charges to converting children to the catholic faith. When she stood in the dock, the judge asked her if the charges were true.
She asked for a baby to be given to her. She held the baby in her arms and said, “This child I picked up from the dust bin. I don’t know to what religion this child belongs or what language it speaks or what race she belongs to. I give this child, my love, my time, my care, my food, but the best thing I have in my life is the faith in Jesus Christ. Can’t I give this child the best I have in my life?” After hearing this instant the judge dismissed the case in favor of St Mother Theresa.
Sharing of our Christian faith with the others is not a choice for us but an obligation. Jesus in His final command before ascending to Heaven, said to the disciples Mt 28:19. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Today’s parable of the talents does not teach so much about the multiplication of talent, but talks about the sharing of our Faith because in 1Cor 12: 12-26 St Paul said, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it”. lCor 12: 28-29 “God has appointed in the church first Apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.” It sounds like an English Poem “If I were a cobbler, it would be my pride, the best of all cobblers to be, if I were a tinker, no tinker beside should mend an old kettle like me.” And also prophet Jeremiah speaks in Chapter 20:9 “If I say I will not mention Him, or speak any more in His name, then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bone. I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot do that. I have to speak of my Lord, and I spoke about my Lord and God has blessed me abundantly.
So brothers and sisters, if we let our faith die within us, we shall be condemned like the third servant who went and buried his one talent. We shall face the condemnation of the master who would say “Good for nothing servant, you should be thrown into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
And another way, if we share our faith and develop our talents, then our God would say “well done, you good and faithful servant, you are blessed by my father”. What a great deed doing God’s ministry.
But brothers and sisters, in today’s parable we learn four lessons which Jesus is teaching us.
The four lessons taught by Jesus through this parable:
- God gives each person different gifts for his or her intended use and God expects us to increase them, not to diminish them.
- The better our work the greater our responsibility.
- The lazy and the unproductive will be punished.
- God blesses generous sharers and punishes selfish hoarders.
So what challenges us by this Parable?
It challenges us to take risk for Christ, because God who risked everything in the incarnation of His only begotten son as Jesus, did so for the sake of our salvation. Jesus encourages his followers not to be afraid to take risks.
Therefore we can take risks in the following way:
- we need to trust in God enough to make use of the gifts we have been given.
- we need to make use of our talents at the service of God.
- We need to trade with our talent of Christian faith.
When we do these things we would be like a woman in the old testament reading we have heard in the first reading. The women who used that wisdom in order to please God by doing good things. Let us use our talents and gifts that God has given us so that the good Lord can bless us, make us wonderful children of God.
Humor: Once a woman after a vain search for parking space, parked her car in a forbidden area. Hurriedly she scrawled a note and tucked it under the windshield wiper: “I have circled this block for twenty minutes and could not find a space. I have got an extremely important appointment and if I do not do this I will lose my job. I am sorry, forgive my trespass. When she returned she noted thankfully that there was no objection, there was no ticket to her parking, and quickly drove away. At the corner, however, the traffic officer signaled her to stop. Taking off his cap, he extracted the slip and read: “I have circled this block all day if I don’t do this, I will lose my job. I am sorry too. Lead us not into temptation.” Saying this pinned neatly to this was a ticket handed over to her.
Yes, brothers and sisters, we may be hurried, we may be preoccupied in this world, but use our prudence, use our wisdom, then, God will show us right ways, then we can do right thinks at right times in our lives. Amen.