A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 19:11-28
While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, "A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, 'Engage in trade with these until I return.' His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, 'We do not want this man to be our king.' But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, 'Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.' He replied, 'Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.' Then the second came and reported, 'Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.' And to this servant too he said, 'You, take charge of five cities.' Then the other servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.' He said to him, 'With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.' And to those standing by he said, 'Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.' But they said to him, 'Sir, he has ten gold coins.' He replied, 'I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.'" After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
REFLECTION: "why did you not put my money in a bank?"
We have been around people who are multitalented and use every talent they have either for their personal gain, kept it all or shared with others. We have seen people with very little talent be quite successful because that one talent God gave them was put to good use--sort of saying, interest was earned because they invested well. The return was remarkable! We have seen our priests use their personal talents to further the Kingdom of God; setting a beautiful example for us of sharing.
Mother Teresa was another such person. God gave her a compassionate and loving heart . With the simplicity of her words she was able to express what many could not. She found her Father and with total trust in Him and in complete abandonment to His will, this petite woman accomplished so much.
God's blessings are given to us in many forms--voice, intelligence, math skills, writing skills, doer and worker to name but a few. Do we live our lives using the talents God has given us? Do we squander or hide our talents because we are shy, selfish or prideful? Are we scared to be bold and creative, thinking that what we do is through our efforts and we don't want to fail? Or do we with patience and perseverance share our abilities with others? Are we willing to let others share their talents with us?
In living our faith there are "no risks" as we can TRUST that our Father will provide us for all our needs. Or do we want to hear God ask, "why did you not put my money in a bank?"
PAPA has invited us all to come and share our talents at our first conference. Check your email and postal mail for the details. December 6-8th, 2019.
God Bless You
