What has the Lord Entrusted You with?

Parish News

This week, Jesus reminds us to use our talents to bear fruits for the glory of God. Our talents are meant to improve the well-being of others. Fr. Ryan, in his sermon explained to the congregation that the Parable of the Talents( Mat 25: 14-30) has the following implications:

  1. All of us are given talents but each of may have different talents so that we may work together to bear fruits in the vineyard of the Lord.
  2. If we do not make use of our talents, it will go rusty. Those who use their talents, will receive even more talents.
  3. Our talents are meant to be used to bear fruits for the glory of God and not for worldly pursuits.

The catechism of the Catholic church tells us that Jesus invites us to enter his kingdom through parables:

“Through His parables He invites people to the feast of the kingdom, but He also asks for a radical choice: to gain the kingdom, one must give everything. Words are not enough, deeds are required. The parables are like mirrors for man: will he be hard soil or good earth for the word? What use has he made of the talents he has received? Jesus and the presence of the kingdom in this world are secretly at the heart of the parables.”  -CCC 546

The parable invites us to reflect on the following:

What has the Lord entrusted you with?

Are we allowing fear to paralyse us from using our talents like the one who hid his one talent?

Is it worth taking the risk?

C.S. Lewis reminds us that this parable commands us to love as Christ did.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

Note: Greek five talents … two talents … one talent; also throughout this parable; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wage.W