USING OUR VALUABLE TALENTS ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Daily Reflections

Sunday, 19^th November 2017.

Thirty Third Week in Ordinary Time

FIRST WORLD DAY OF THE POOR

Prov 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31;

Ps 127:1-5;

1Thes 5:1-6;

Mt 25:14-30

USING OUR VALUABLE TALENTS

There is something very sad about seeing a talent go to waste, for when a talent goes to waste a person goes to waste. A brilliant footballer turns to drink, an exciting singer turns to drugs, a bright young politician disappears into the system ... and their talents are lost, perhaps forever. The American writer, Thoreau, spoke about ‘the responsibility of talent’.

Once there was a king who had three sons, each with a special talent. The first had a talent for growing fruit. The second for raising sheep. And the third for playing the fiddle. Once, the king had to go overseas on important business. Before departing he called his three sons together, and told them that he was depending on them to keep the people contented in his absence.

Now for a while things went well. But then came the winter, a bitter and cruel winter it was. There was an acute shortage of firewood. Thus the first son was faced with a very difficult decision. Should he allow the people to cut down some of his beloved fruit trees for firewood? When he saw the people shivering with cold, he finally allowed them to do so.The second was also faced with a difficult decision. Food became very scarce. Should he allow the people to kill some of his beloved sheep for food? When he saw children crying with the hunger, his heart went out to them, and he allowed them to kill some of the sheep.Thus the people had firewood for their fires, and food for their tables. Nevertheless, the harsh winter continued to oppress them. Their spirits began to sag, and there was no one to cheer them up. They turned to the fiddler, but he refused to play for them. In the end, things got so bad that in desperation many of them emigrated.

Then one day the king arrived back. He was terribly sad to find that many of his people had left. He called in his three sons to give an account of what had gone wrong. The first son said: ‘Father, I hope you won’t be mad at me, but the winter was very cold so I allowed them to cut down some of the fruit trees for firewood’. And the second son said: ‘Father, I hope you won’t be mad with me because when the food got scarce I allowed them to kill some of the sheep’. On hearing this, far from being angry, the father embraced his two sons and told them that he was proud of them.

Then the third son came forward carrying his fiddle with him. ‘Father’, he said, ‘I refused to play because you were not here to enjoy the music’. ‘Well then’, said the king, ‘play me a tune now because my heart is full of sorrow’. The son raised the violin and bow, but found that his fingers had gone stiff from lack of exercise. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get them to move. Then the father said: ‘You could have cheered the people up with your music, but you refused. If the kingdom is half empty, the fault is yours. But now you can no longer play. That will be your punishment’.

Does he not remind us of the third servant in Christ’s story? the man who buried his master's money and who was censured for doing so. How many of us could say that we have used all our talents, or developed our full potential as human beings and children of God?Some people drift through life, living aimlessly, selfishly, and foolishly, and die without having realised even a fraction of their potential. Others work very hard but often the tasks into which they pour themselves are perhaps not really worth it. They may be totally materialistic which in the long run leaves them empty and exhausted.We must be careful lest we distort the meaning of Christ’s parable.It is by living that we discover our talents, and it is by using them that they grow. Sooner or later the harvest time comes for everyone. Then the question arises: What have we done with our talents, with ourselves, with our lives?

The first reading from the book of Proverbs speaks of a very productive wife that bears fruit in all things. She never sits idle, using every opportunity presented to her to increase the family wealth. This capable wife is trustworthy. While tending to the needs of the family, she also tends to her spiritual needs and the needs of others. She gives generously to those in need, to those seeking comfort, she speaks gentle words, only wisdom coming from her mouth. In a way, this wonderful woman is a picture of what we should be, always being fruitful in our ways.

In today’s second reading from the letter to the Thessalonians, Paul continues his discussion on the Parousia, the second coming of the Lord. He tells them what Jesus himself had said - that his second coming would be unexpected and would come like the thief in the night. However, this should not frighten them since they would be prepared because they were living in their Christian faith.

The parable in today’s Gospel gives us four important lessons. First, it tells us that God gives each person different gifts. We are only asked to make full use of what we have been uniquely given and to use them for the benefit of the community as a whole. Second, our work is never completed. The first two servants showed how much they had earned; they were not told they could sit back and rest. Rather because of their trustworthiness, even greater responsibilities were given to them. Third, the person who does nothing will be punished. The man with one talent did not lose it. 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. Finally, to the one who has more will be given; 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. But Jesus is rather saying that those who share generously the gifts they have been given are likely to find themselves constantly enriched. Those who jealously preserve what they have been given, hoard it and go into their shell in fear of the outside world are likely to shrivel up and die.

Prayer: Lord, I give to You all that I am and thank You for all that You have given to me. May I use all that I have been blessed with for Your glory and for the up building of Your Kingdom. May I never compare myself to others, looking only to the fulfillment of Your holy will in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.. Amen.

Summary of the message of his holiness Pope Francis on the First World day of the Poor to be held on 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

LET US LOVE, NOT WITH WORDS BUT WITH DEEDS

1. Love has no alibi. Whenever we set out to love as Jesus loved, we have to take the Lord as our example; especially when it comes to loving the poor. The Son of God’s way of loving stands on two pillars: God loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:10.19), and he loved us by giving completely of himself, even to laying down his life (cf. 1 Jn 3:16). Such love cannot go unanswered.

2. “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him” (Ps 34:6). The Church has always understood the importance of this cry. Yet there have been times when Christians have not fully heeded this appeal, and have assumed a worldly way of thinking. Yet the Holy Spirit has not failed to raise up men and women who, in a variety of ways, have devoted their lives to the service of the poor. The most outstanding example is that of Francis of Assisi. He was not satisfied to embrace lepers and give them alms, but chose to stay with them. If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor, as a response to the sacramental communion bestowed in the Eucharist. The Body of Christ, broken in the sacred liturgy, can be seen, through charity and sharing, in the faces and persons of the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters. We are called, then, to draw near to the poor, to encounter them, to meet their gaze, to embrace them and to let them feel the warmth of love that breaks through their solitude. Their outstretched hand is also an invitation to step out of our certainties and comforts, and to acknowledge the value of poverty in itself.

3. God created the heavens and the earth for all; yet sadly some have erected barriers, walls and fences, betraying the original gift meant for all humanity, with none excluded.It is my wish that, in the week preceding the World Day of the Poor, which falls this year on 19 November, the Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Christian communities will make every effort to create moments of encounter and friendship, solidarity and concrete assistance. They can invite the poor and volunteers to take part together in the Eucharist on this Sunday, in such a way that there be an even more authentic celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on the following Sunday.

4. If there are poor people where we live who seek protection and assistance, let us draw close to them: it will be a favourable moment to encounter the God we seek. At the heart of all the many concrete initiatives carried out on this day should always be prayer. Let us not forget that the Our Father is the prayer of the poor. Our asking for bread expresses our entrustment to God for our basic needs in life.

5. I ask my brother Bishops, and all priests and deacons who by their vocation have the mission of supporting the poor, together with all consecrated persons and all associations, movements and volunteers everywhere, to help make this World Day of the Poor a tradition that concretely contributes to evangelization in today’s world.

6. The poor are not a problem: they are a resource from which to draw as we strive to accept and practise in our lives the essence of the Gospel.