Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

16th November 2014

by Rev. Fr. Allen Baclor Abadines 

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GOSPEL: Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying,'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

"And the one with two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents, see, I have made two more talents. His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

"Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'

"But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

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REFLECTION

Story: Three pelicans were flying to a popular lake. As they traveled, they were each lost in thought.

The first pelican thought to himself, "I love my beak. It's magnificent. No other bird has a beak quite like mine. When I get to the lake, I am going to parade along the bank, showing off my beautiful beak and all of the other birds will be jealous.

The second pelican thought to himself, "I love my beak and I need to protect it. I can't afford for it to get damaged, so I am going to only catch small fish in shallow waters. I know that I can do more, but it is too risky."

The third pelican thought to himself, "I love my beak. It is a beauty and I am going to push the limits and get the most out of it. I am going to become the best catcher of fish in the lake. I've been given this beak for a reason, so i am going to work hard and catch the biggest fish out there. (Source unknown)

I like this story. It is teaching us some realities of life. Like, each one of us have received talents, blessings and potentials for a reason. Not to brag about it and to show off just like the first pelican.Nor to hide it just like the second pelican. But to fully develop and make use of them to their maximum capacity just like what the third pelican did. Each one of us are blessed with so many gifts that we may use to share and make this world a better place.

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The Gospel of this Sunday has a similar message. It relates to us a simple story so easy to understand yet it has a powerful message with eternal relevance. Anyone can relate to its significance. Jesus tells the story of a man who gives talents to three of his servants. The first servant received five talents. The second servant received two talents. And the third servant received one talent. The first and the second servant went out at once and used the money to buy and trade things and ended up making even more money. But the third one didn't want to take the risk out of fear of losing the money he was given that he went and buried it to keep it safe.It happened that upon the return of the master , they were summoned for an accounting. As what was expected the first and the second servant were praised by the master. But he finds to his dismay that the third slave to whom he entrusted one talent had simply buried the wealth and had garnered neither gain nor interest. And for that reason the third servant was punished.

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Like many of Jesus' parables, he tells this one in particular to teach us an important lesson i.e. God doesn't want us to hide our gifts and blessings. Instead, He wants us to make use of them to the fullest. God created each of us with special gifts and He expects us to use those gifts for the purpose for which he gave them to us. This is the challenge of today's Gospel. Our Lord Jesus is telling us that in the end the Master will come for an accounting. There should be no excuse for us to come with a report that would not be pleasing to the Master. Our Lord intends that we multiply, increase , expand our gifts for our own good and the good of others. And to help build the Kingdom of God.

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So what holds the people back to show, develop and share their talents. Let me give you some reasons:

1) Insecurity - Some people may feel inferior to other people.They are always intimidated by people who are more talented.

2) Lack of confidence - They thought that their talents are not good enough.They do not see their importance. They would rather keep their talents to themselves rather than to use and share them with others. They forgot that those are gifts from God and therefore precious to God.

3) Fear of rejection. A lot of people are afraid of being rejected, ridiculed and or laughed at by others. But we have to first and foremost appreciate ourselves in order for us to be appreciated by others. People who are successful started out from a humble beginning,but what separates them from the rest are their boldness and readiness to take the risk. Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton said "With ordinary talents and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." You may have the skills and abilities. You may not feel it particularly great, but it may be better than you think. If you don't use it, you lose it! Talents that are not used are like Sundial in the shade.

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Let me end my reflection with another inspiring story. It is a story of a man who had real talent.

This particular man played piano in a bar. He was a good piano player. People came out just to hear him play. But one night a customer wanted him to sing a particular song. The pianist declined. But the customer was persistent. He talked to the bartender: "I am tired of listening to the piano. I want that guy to sing." The bartender shouted across the room to the piano player. "Hey buddy! If you want to get paid sing the song! The customers are asking you to sing."

So he did. He sang a song. A jazz piano player who had not sung much in public, sang a song that changed his career, for nobody had ever heard "Sweet Lorraine" sung the way it was sung that night by a pianist - his name was Nat King Cole!

All along he had talent hidden and undiscovered.

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Luke 11:33- "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden , or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."

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To God be all the glory!

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