Talents
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we approach the final weeks of the Season of the Glorious Cross before beginning the new liturgical year, we find that our Lord truly
intensifies his expectations of us as stewards of the gifts that he has entrusted upon us. The parable about the talents is a simple story about a man who is preparing to go on a journey and entrusts his possessions to his servants. He distributes his wealth among three of his servants, giving each in accordance with their abilities. As we hear in the story, the first two invest their master’s wealth and their return is doubled while the third servant does nothing at all. When the master comes back he praises and rewards the first two and condemns the third for being lazy.
Like all the stories of the past few weeks, this story is about us. God, the Heavenly Master, entrusts each one of us with many talents, many abilities, each according to what we can handle. The question for us today is: do we use these talents for the glory of God and the good of His people? Before we can answer this question, we need to discover what talents we possess. We need to identify them, acknowledge them, accept them and be proud of them. God has given each one of us unique skills and abilities. As a family or community, these skills and abilities complement each other in the building of society. Often however, we fail to discover, let alone use these skills and abilities because we are too focussed on the skills and abilities of others. We waste so much time worrying about others and wanting what others have that we forget about ourselves and the wonderful gifts that the Lord has endowed us with. God gives each one of us in accordance with our abilities, He deprives no-one! For this reason, we need to stop worrying about what others have and focus on what we have, utilising our talents in the best possible way and placing them at the service of the Lord and of each other.
On a parish note, Arabic School, Fersen, Teens and Come Alive all resumed for the final semester of this year. We welcome them back and all the leaders who on a weekly basis volunteer their time and talent to serve our children. The Pastoral Council Committee also met this week to evaluate Feast Week and to start preparing for the opening of the liturgical year, Christmas and all the events leading up to this joyous feast. On behalf of all the clergy, I thank all the committees and their coordinators for their ongoing commitment and dedication to the parish, you are all a wonderful example of how faithful stewards activate their talents for the Glory of God and the service of His people.
