Homily For Saturday Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 2nd September, 2023

Readings: 1Thess.4:9-11; Ps.98; Matt.25:14-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WHAT IS YOUR GOD-GIVEN TALENT AND HOW ARE YOU USING IT?

 

There is no doubt in my mind that God has a plan for every one of us, for each person has been given a special talent according to his/her ability. God made it so in order to fulfil that plan, just as we heard in the parable in our Gospel passage today since everyone is special, unique and a masterpiece.

 

In this parable, a man who was going on a journey 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 to utilize it until he comes back. Here, Jesus is telling us that we have all been given gifts by God which we must account for. If we use these gifts wisely for our own benefit and the benefit of others, we will grow and blossom. If on the other hand, we fail to use them just like the third servant, we remain dormant and unsuccessful.

 

But what is this talent all about? The talent may represent different physical and spiritual gifts of God, but its basic foundation is the love of God towards us, the love that God has shown to us which needs to be reciprocated through an active love for our neighbours. So, this parable teaches us that our gifts are meant to be put to use, in service of God and humanity especially the poor. Our service to God should not be done grudgingly or fearfully but generously and with the willingness to take risks in responding to God's mandate.

 

We must be ready to lose our life in order to find it. God wants us to use the individual talents given to us to make a difference in the world, not to relax in our comfort zones doing nothing with them. God wants the best from us and when we have given our best, we receive more from him. However, we often find it difficult to discover our talents or to accept the one God has given to us because we have failed to embrace love. Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading says: “As for loving our brothers, there is no need for anyone to write to us about that, since we have learnt from God how to love one another”.

 

Dear friends, what is your God-given talent? How are you using it? Have you put it to full use? Or have you buried it out of fear, ignorance and shame? For we are called today to search and discover our talent, to discover love and invest in it in order to achieve the purpose by which we are created just like the first two servants in the parable of the talents who utilized the talents given to them.

 

We too must utilize our talents when we realise that the greatest talent is the love of God and our neighbours. Then we will devote all our lives to talking about love and letting people know that true happiness is found in interior living and not in material things we possess. So, we must learn to embrace love in order to become great instruments in preparing humanity towards the kingdom of God. Therefore, we are reminded that we are going to give an account before God and the real tragedy of life is not in being limited to one talent but in failure to use that one talent properly.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you have given us a special talent according to our ability to fulfil your plans for us. Help us to discover our talents and utilize them in such a way that it will lead us to love you and our neighbours, especially the poor and so attain eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful weekend.