Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time (September 2, 2017): Making the Most of God’s Gifts.

Thứ Sáu, 01-09-2017 | 15:57:46

A reading from the Holy Gospel according Matthew (Matthew 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.'”


Good News Reflection:

Introductory Prayer:Lord, I come to you once again to reflect on your Gospel. I know that in this parable you are trying to teach me a lesson. Help me assimilate what you want to teach me. I trust that I will be able to understand your lesson not because of my own merits but because it is you who will help me to understand.

Petition: Lord help me use to the full the talents you have given me.

1. God Trusts Me. Just as the master entrusts his slaves with his property, God has entrusted me with many things: my life, intelligence, education, material possessions, etc. He has given them because he expects me to use them to produce fruit. To one slave the master gives five talents, to another two, and to a third, one. Each one is given what he is capable of investing. So too God gives me precisely what I am capable of investing.

2. Taking a Risk. The slave who was given five talents promptly goes off and trades so that he gains five more. He takes a risk. When he sets off to do business, he is not sure whether he will lose all or part of the money or make a profit. But it is only because he takes a risk that he is able to present his master with ten talents upon his return. God wants us to take a risk with what he has entrusted to us. This means exposing ourselves to possible failure and loss. If we do not take a risk, we may never produce the fruit in our lives that God is expecting of us.

3. More Will Be Given. It seems almost unjust that the slave who has the ten talents should be given the lazy slave’s talent. Doesn’t he have enough already? Isn’t this taking from the poor to give to the rich? Christ is no doubt trying to teach us a lesson about the spiritual life. What does not grow dies. If our spiritual life stagnates it will die and the little bit of spiritual life that we may have had will disappear. On the other hand, when our spiritual life is vibrant and growing, it produces more and more fruit. It produces fruit in abundance.

Dialogue with Christ:Lord, you have given me everything good in my life. Thank you for entrusting me with so much. Help me not to be afraid of investing the many good things you have given me in order to produce fruit for your kingdom. I do not want to find myself empty-handed on the Day of Judgment. Grant me the apostolic zeal, generosity and tenacity to make sure my life will produce abundantly.

Resolution:I will think of one way I can better use the talents God has given me to spread his kingdom.

 Fr. Marcial Maciel, LC

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