Receive More in Serving (Matthew 25:14-30)

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

November 19, 2023

Prov.31:10-13,19-20,30-31; 1 Thes. 5:1-6; Mt 25: 14-30

Receive More in Serving

A wonderful story is told about Ludwig van Beethoven. The famous composer was well aware that he had few social skills. One day he heard the death of his friend’s son. Beethoven rushed over to his friend’s house, but he just couldn’t find the words to comfort the father of the boy. So, he used the gifts he had been given. Beethoven went to the piano and for a full thirty minutes he played a beautiful elegy. It is believed that he composed it on the spot. He used his talent to console the grieving.

St Paul says all our talents, all our gifts flow from the Holy Spirit. They are all to serve God and people. The Holy Spirit gives the talents or gifts to us according to each one’s capacity to draw the people to God (1 Cor 12). And none of us have the right to take credit for them because they are not given according to our interests and concerns but for the glory and honor of God. We acknowledge this at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest holds up the Body and Blood of Christ and says, “Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, O God Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours. And we all say, “Amen”. 

Everyone can point out how hard he or she works to develop his or her talents. King David struggled himself in sustaining the gift of purity of thoughts. King Solomon struggled to use the gift of wisdom in keeping up his kingdom united. St Peter failed to withhold the gift of being with the Lord in the time of his struggle. Judas Iscariot completely got failed in the gift of friendship with Jesus. Our talents came from God and must be developed and serve only God. He is the focus, not us. His is the glory, not ours. What are talents or gifts we received? Can we name them? If we enumerate them one by one, surely there will be thousands beginning from our movements in the womb of our mothers until we reach God. Through the gifts of God, we share in His Glory only to the extent that we have allowed Him to be seen in our efforts in outreach. All our gifts and abilities should be seen as just gifts from God. This is a message we need to convey to our children and Teens. 

At times, our tendency is to compare ourselves with others. We don’t do that. Everybody has the talents in one’s own way. St Paul says to use them for the benefit of the community as a whole. The first two servants in today’s Gospel showed how much they had earned and they were not told they could sit back and rest. Rather because of their trustworthiness, even greater responsibilities were given to them. The more one has, the more will be given to him. The third servant who did nothing is punished. He did not do anything at all with it. If he had tried and failed, he would have met compassion and forgiveness. Even the person with one miserable talent has something to offer to others. It is a sober warning that it is not just those who do evil deeds who will lose out but also those who have no positively good works to show. Every person has the responsibility to be active in the Kingdom.

The one who has more will be given more. From the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. It seems rather unfair, like robbing the poor to pay the rich. If we make use of the gifts in service to the Kingdom of Heaven, we will be rewarded and entrusted with even more responsibilities.