20220827 GRATITUDE FOR GOD’S GIFTS IS EXPRESSED IN CREATIVE FIDELITY
27 August, 2022, Saturday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 © |
God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, to shame the wise
Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 32(33):12-13,18-21 © |
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
They are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.
From the heavens the Lord looks forth,
he sees all the children of men.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Gospel Acclamation | Ph2:15-16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn13:34 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 25:14-30 © |
You have been faithful in small things: come and join in your master's happiness
Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out.
‘The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
‘Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.”
‘His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”
‘Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”
‘Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’
GRATITUDE FOR GOD’S GIFTS IS EXPRESSED IN CREATIVE FIDELITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 COR 1:26-31; PS 33; MT 25:14-30]
There is an apparent contradiction between the two readings. The first reading speaks of those not blessed with the gifts valued highly by the world, e.g. wealth, power, status and human knowledge. The gospel however underscores that God gives us gifts according to His divine sovereignty. Although we all do not receive the same number of gifts, some are given one talent and others have more, God does not demand of us what we do not have. The common denominator for both readings underscores that God is the giver of all gifts.
Yet the truth remains that quite often we fail to be conscious of this fact. Many of us think that our success is due to our hard work alone. We tend to boast of our efforts and achievements as if they are purely due to our ingenuity, intelligence and hard work. We credit all success to ourselves. Such an attitude towards our achievements makes us egoistic and arrogant. Many of us forget that at one time we were nobody. We forget that we were once poor and without status. The truth is that if we have managed to earn an academic degree, God must have provided the financial means, health and grey matter; otherwise we would not have been able to study. Now that we are successful, we look down on others and treat those beneath us in social status with disdain or condescension. That is why St Paul, citing from scripture, says, “If anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.” We must remember that all gifts are from Him, without which we can do nothing.
For this reason, St Paul wrote, “to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame the strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything.” It is significant that the early Church for the most part grew from the outcasts of society, of which many were slaves. Of course, there were also quite a number coming from the higher strata of society. St Paul purposely underscored this fact because the Corinthians were divided because of the gifts. They were boasting about their gifts to each other, causing envy, comparison and disunity. If we are aware that these gifts are given to us, then we will always remain humble even when we are successful. It is important to remember always where we were before we become where we are now.
Furthermore, St Paul was able to boast of God’s powers, precisely because of this fact that we are totally dependent on Him. One of the factors that account for the spread of the Pentecostal renewal was because of the healing and transformation of the lives of drug addicts and those from the lower classes. The truth is that those of us who are capable, talented, rich and self-sufficient cannot feel the power of God at work through us in a significant way as we think that our accomplishments are due to our merits, unlike those who are poor and lacking in talents. It is like those who are very healthy and strong who take health supplements; they will not derive much benefit from the supplements.
At any rate, not all of us are given the same gifts. As the gospel says, some are given more and some given less, each according to his capacity and for a purpose. All gifts are given for the service of the proclamation of the Good News. We are not equal in talents but we can be equal in giving our best for the greater glory of God. He does not judge or commend us according to what we produce at the end of the day but how much effort we have put in to cooperate with the gifts He has given to us. This explains why the first two servants were commended highly by the master and were given more responsibilities according to their abilities. God will never demand from us what we do not have. We only need to do our best according to the gifts and resources we have been given. As Mother Teresa always says, we are called to be faithful, not successful.
Secondly, by failing to recognize that we are only stewards of God’s gifts, just like the servants who were entrusted with the man’s money, we do not use our gifts responsibly. Like the lazy servant, we do not use our gifts creatively and in fidelity to what God intended of us when He gave us His gifts. All gifts given to us are not for ourselves but for the service of others so that the kingdom of God can be extended to all men. Some of us are like the lazy servant who did nothing with the talent that was entrusted to him. Indeed, many of us take our blessings for granted. We take our food, job and health for granted. That is why we never take care or use them well till they are taken away. We don’t value health till we are sick. We complain about our jobs when many cannot even find a job.
So like the lazy servant, because we fail to appreciate the gifts and use them properly, we destroy ourselves. As a consequence, even the little we have is taken away from us. Jesus remarked, “For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” This is a universal truth of life, that what we do not use, will be lost to us, be it our health, talents, intelligence and skills. The paradox of life is that when we use all that we have, we become better and healthier. Many who retire and do nothing all day end up with ill health and suffer the onset of early dementia and all kinds of illnesses because they fail to exercise their mind and body.
On another level, the parable was a rebuke to the religious leaders in Jesus’ time because of their attitude towards the Torah, the Law of God. Instead of observing the spirit of the Law, they simply kept the Law exactly as it was, like the servant who buried the talent in the earth. As a result, they stifled the truth and destroyed all creativity. Being responsible is not just about using what God has given to us, but we must use the gifts creatively as well. Keeping the status quo is not being faithful to God’s gift. Gifts must be developed and not be hoarded in cold storage. Unfortunately, many of us do not share our gifts with others and find ways and means to enhance them. Being over protective of the past can destroy us. In life we must take risks, especially in the proclamation of the Good News. Those who are afraid to take risks will never be fruitful. Life is always an adventure, so too is faith. If Abraham did not take the risk of trusting God, there would be no Israel. If St Paul did not venture out beyond the boundaries of Palestine, the Gentiles and the whole world would not be Christians. As it is, Judaism remains the religion of a certain race principally. So we must take the initiative, allow mistakes to be made, and see the power of God at work in us if we place our faith in Him rather than on mere human calculation. Perhaps our Church is not growing rapidly because we are too calculative, too logical and human in our approach towards evangelization. We are no better than the servant who buried the talent in the earth for fear of losing it. A maintenance Church will inevitably die, sooner or later. A Church with vision will fire up zeal in the lives of its believers.
Indeed, the way to exercise and make full use of the resources the Lord has given to us is to be appreciative and grateful for what we have been given, like the early Christians who were grateful for God’s choice of them to be the new people of God. Like the psalmist, they prayed, “Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down; he sees all mankind.” On account of the Lord’s mercy and love, they were converted to the Lord. Outsiders who saw their transformation were edified and attracted to the Lord. This is why St Paul said the gospel he preached was proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit and not through human wisdom and sophistry.
In the final analysis, gratitude is expressed in our cooperation with God’s grace, and even if we are successful, we know that it is due to the Lord’s grace and mercy.
Hence, St Paul’s message is clear that only faith in God’s wisdom seen in Christ can bring about a real conversion of heart. Only faith in His love and mercy seen in the passion and resurrection of Christ can make us realize that God can do greater things in and through us, more than we can imagine. Only a contemplation of His passion and resurrection will make us give up our lives for Him in response to His love for us. At the end of the day, being responsible for the gifts we have received is dependent on our relationship with God in Christ.
As we remember Mary this Saturday, let us follow her example of creative fidelity to God’s grace. As a representative of the anawim, the poor of Israel, Mary depended entirely on God and His grace. In the Magnificat, she acknowledged that it was God who had done great things for her and in her. Of course, having received the grace of God, she cooperated with Him by saying ‘Yes’ to Him at the incarnation, right up to the passion of Christ. So as we await for the coming of Christ at the end of our lives, it behoves us all to use all our resources, talents, abilities, money, influence well for the extension of God’s Kingdom, spreading the Good News about Jesus Christ and His love.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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