Rev.
Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
HOW
ARE YOU USING YOUR GOD-GIVEN TALENT?
In 2017
the year of Our Lord, Pope Francis dedicated every last Sunday before the
Solemnity of Christ the King, as the World Day for the Poor. An occasion where
we are all reminded of the poor, those people in our community who are lacking
basic needs of life as they depend on others to survive. Therefore we are
called to be of help the best we could knowing that God has a plan for every one of us. For each person has been given a special talent according to his/her
ability in order to fulfil that plan. So everyone no matter your present
condition is special, unique and a masterpiece. This is evident in our Gospel
passage today, where Jesus told us the parable of the talents.
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 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 will 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.
Dear
friends, what is your talent? How are you using your God-given talents? Have
you put them 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.
Little
wonder our first reading today gives us an example of a very industrious and
virtuous woman who utilized her talent in helping her husband and the poor
knowing that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night, just as
we heard in our second reading today. 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 the failure to use that one talent properly.
LET US
PRAY: Lord God, you have given us a special talent according to our ability in
order 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 glorious Sunday celebration.
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