(REMEMBER TO PRAY IN THIS MONTH OF NOVEMBER FOR YOUR RELATIVES, LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS WHO HAVE DIED).
COLLECT: “GRANT US, WE PRAY, O LORD OUR GOD, THE CONSTANT GLADNESS OF BEING DEVOTED TO YOU, FOR IT IS FULL AND LASTING HAPPINESS TO SERVE WITH CONSTANCY THE AUTHOR OF ALL THAT IS GOOD. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Prv 31:10-13,19-20,30-31; Ps 127:1-5; 1Thess 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30 or 25:14-15, 19-21
“PUT YOUR ACCOUNT BOOKS (SPIRITUAL BOOKS, BOOKS OF TALENTS) IN ORDER BEFORE THE DAY OF RECKONING TAKES YOU BY SURPRISE”.
“Till the soil…” This was an injunction God gave to Adam and Eve. God has indeed created each of us for a mission. He has endowed every individual with talents necessary to fulfil this mission, and so naturally God expects each of us to be up and doing and not to waste our talents and gifts in sloth, idleness and wickedness. This message runs through all our scriptures this Sunday. The ideal woman mentioned in the first reading is the type who discovers God’s giving talents and gifts, and works hard, uses her time well and profitably, does good to all people who come her way, no matter who, she brings honour to her husband and on account of that she wins praises from her husband.
In the second reading, St. Paul asks his listeners, including those of us who read and meditate on this reading today, to live in the light by leading a holy life. We are not to live in darkness (an unproductive and destructive life) characterised by evil deeds, sloth, idleness and slumber. Rather, we should always be awake, vigilant, alert and watchful and always be ready to face death and judgment on our last day on earth.
In the gospel, two of the three servants who worked hard with their talents and earned profits were praised like the husband praising the ideal wife in our first reading. They are not only praised but are equally rewarded by their master, while the idle, lazy and wicked servant who wasted his talent and, as an excuse, blamed it on his blameless master was justly punished.
Naturally and normally, when the year (or in some cases, the month, or the term, etc.) is drawing to a close, people prepare themselves to evaluate the year, month, term or whatever. It is the same with the liturgical year and with our spiritual lives. The liturgical year is drawing to a close at the 34th Sunday (Christ the Universal King).
We are all expected to prepare to evaluate our lives, individual vocations, jobs and professions and more especially, this Sunday is challenging us to start evaluating how we have lived our spiritual lives and how we have used our talents and gifts. Each one of us has been entrusted with a talent(s) by God in proportion to our ability. Like in the parable, God has not given any of us clear-cut instructions or directives as to how to use them. Regarding God’s given talents and gifts, in most cases we are not told by God that this is the talent that he has given to me or you.
Each of us therefore has to identify our talents and then put them to good use, expecting a profit or a gain out of it. One thing that is sure is that there will certainly be a day of reckoning or accountability when I will be expected to account for how I have used my talents. Note very well that there will be no room for excuses on the day of accountability. Like in our parable, some of us who, out of laziness, sloth, idleness, wickedness, pride and arrogance, may give false excuses why we have not put our talents into use. God will not accept this. He will consider us as “useless servants” fit for nothing but “the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth”.
The scripture today is challenging us to identify or look for our innate talents and gifts and put them into practice. Unfortunately, in our time we have lots of capable people with lots of energy, vigour and strength who could do something on their own to earn their living and help others live, but who are just sitting out there claiming there are no jobs and therefore they have nothing to do.
Unfortunately, such are the ones who want to live rich, comfortable and expensive lifestyles. These days, every day and everywhere, we hear about the unemployment syndrome. People are singing here and there: “there are no jobs in the system and therefore the unemployment gap is widening every day and every time”. Not to dispute the fact that there are some professionals who cannot get their rightful jobs or profession, it is also true that in most cases the jobs or employment that most people are looking for are not theirs.
Some people are not qualified for some particular jobs or professions, yet they want to be there and nowhere else. They see or consider their rightful jobs as menial ones, demeaning for them to do. Please note, no job is menial, demeaning or useless.
Today’s readings are a call on all of us to take INITIATIVE. Please, do not wait for anyone, especially your boss, your manager, your Bishop or Superior (in the case of Priests and Religious) to tell you what to do. Take initiative*. This has come out clearly in our first reading (The Ideal Woman) as well as in the parable in the gospel (The two servants who worked with their talents). In both cases, they did not wait for anyone to tell them what to do with their talents/gifts. Out of their own initiative, they worked with their talents, and they gained not only profits but were praised and given more. Please, let us be industrious with our talents and gifts, and we will be surprised at the turnover of things.
Our talents have been given to us to use them to develop ourselves as well as to use them to contribute towards the development of the community, society, nation and the world at large. You are not to use your talents to exploit, abuse, manipulate and mislead others. Take note. Also take note and be convinced that you are not working for anybody but for yourself, even if you have been employed by someone or by the state. Because whatever gains or profits that come on account of your hard, dedicated and sacrificial work, they come to you first before other people can share in them.
The adage that “practice makes one perfect” is implied in today’s scriptures, particularly in the gospel. The more you use your talents and gifts to work, the more perfect you become, and other avenues will be opened to you. However, if, out of laziness, idleness, wickedness and pride, you do not identify your talents and put them to work, you will kill them, and you will suffer not only in this world but in the world to come. Let us pray that God may give us that inspiration to always identify our talents and gifts that he has given to each one of us and therefore always put them into good use for our benefit and the benefit of other people. Stay blessed, and may your Sunday be blissful.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, SUNDAY, ON THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: ‘THE RESURRECTION, THE ASCENSION, THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE ASSUMPTION, AND THE CORONATION’. (WE PRAY FAITH, HOPE, LOVE OF GOD, GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH AND TRUST IN MARY’S INTERCESSION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “WE HAVE PARTAKEN OF THE GIFTS OF THIS SACRED MYSTERY, HUMBLY IMPLORING, O LORD, THAT WHAT YOUR SON COMMANDED US TO DO IN MEMORY OF HIM MAY BRING US GROWTH IN CHARITY. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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