Being Vigilant…

Thirty Third Sunday of Ordinary time, Pope Francis invites us to celebrate the World Day of Poor. Mother Theresa of Calcutta was summoned to the court on the charges of 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… I give this child my love, my time, my care, my food… but the best thing that I have in my life is the faith in Jesus Christ. Can’t I give this child the best I have in my life?” The case was dismissed in favor of Mother Theresa.

Pope Francis says, ““The hope of the poor will not perish forever” (Ps 9:19). These words of the Psalm remain timely. They express a profound truth that faith impresses above all on the hearts of the poor, restoring lost hope in the face of injustice, sufferings, and the uncertainties of life.”
Eucharist is the perfect example of Jesus’ self-giving. These days so many people have to receive Spiritual Communion due to COVID 19. This weekend, when we receive him in Holy Communion, spiritually or sacramentally, let us make a promise that we will go out and courageously invest our God-given gifts to serve one another.

We are at the end of the liturgical year and on this penultimate Sunday, the reading invites us to reflect on being prepared. We have the first reading from the book of Proverbs. It is an anthology of collection of sayings and instruction. This weekend reading is a poetic explanation of a worthy wife who brings many blessings by properly using God-given gifts. In the second reading, Paul advises us to keep awake and encouraging and building each other up as we wait for the “Day of the Lord.”

Today’s Gospel put in front of us a question: Are we using our talents and gifts primarily to serve God?  The parable of the talents challenges us to do something positive and constructive with our talents. The talent was a unit of coinage of high but varying value depending on its metal (gold, silver, copper) and its place of origin. A denarius was the normal daily wage. A talent is 6,000 denarii or 20 years of daily wages for a six-day workweek.

In the parable, one got five talents second two, and the third one each. Even one talent was a huge amount. But the person who got the one buried in the ground. During Jesus’ time, it was not unusual to guard valuables by burying them in the ground (Matthew 13:44).

In this parable, Jesus says, “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.” We read in Matthew 13:12, “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” The person who got the one talent, as punishment, he loses the gift he had received, that is now given to the first servant, whose possessions are already great.
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Through this parable, Jesus reminds us that we should be always live in the presence of God, and doing the work of God to glorify him and for the salvation of all.
 
Congratulations: Let us congratulate our Junior Confirmation Candidates as they make their Commitment ceremony. They are asking for our prayers and support. Let us remember them in our prayer coming days and months as they make their immediate preparations.