Monday, November 14, 2005
Of Things Divine: Why Not You? (Ordinary Time, 33-A)
By: Bryan Timby
In a world that seems to have lost its sense of personal responsibility and accountability, the parable in today’s Gospel sounds a warning that not only we, but groups and corporations must heed.
We have seen corporate irresponsibility wipe out thousands of people’s financial security. Greed coupled with dishonesty is always a lose-lose proposition. Enron. WorldCom. United Airlines.
When it is all too tempting to say “I will do as I please; everyone else be damned”, Jesus reminds us that we will be held accountable for personal decisions. And, we will be held accountable not only for what we do but also for what we fail to do.
In the parable, the Master gives each of his servants a different amount of his wealth to protect and work. Notice that not all the servants received equal portions. They were given talents each according to his ability. But each was expected to be equally responsible with the portion allotted him.
Now, while the talents of which Jesus spoke were portions of financial wealth, a “talent” being a measure of silver equal to a full year’s wages, we can find a modern application of the word in St. Paul when he writes that some have the gifts to be deacons, some teachers, some administrators, and so on. Not all of us receive the same gifts or talents from God. Some of us are better at one thing than others are, and some who are good at the same thing discover that there is even a degree of capability among those with the same gift.
For example, there are people like me who love to sing and can occasionally get a melody right with some accompaniment. (I remember the eighth grade Christmas party in 1964 when I was unlucky enough to pull out of the game bag the instruction to sing the Beatles’ “If I Fell” in front of the class. If I remember correctly I was asked to take my seat after just four or five measures.)
Then there are those who have some talent and are parish cantors or choir members.
Then there are the “Three Tenors.”
When we recognize that we have a special gift we are called to develop it and use it for the glory of God. That is why God blessed us in the first place. Being faithful to God is more than having “faith.” It means that we respond in faith with good works. St. James tells us that faith without works is dead. Our lives as faithful stewards require both faith and work. We cannot just sit around thinking God is going to drop some wonderful blessing into our laps because we have faith in Him.
It’s a lot like expecting a candy bar from a machine into which we have put no money. We pull the knobs or press the buttons in the hope that someone else put money into the machine. That happens usually, well, next to never. And those who are old enough to remember pay phones … how many times did you stick your fingers into the coin return tray in the hopes of receiving something for nothing? Bet you couldn’t make a living that way, could you?
God expects us to be productive all the days of our lives. Oh, the type of work we do may change from age to age in a lifetime, but God still expects us to be productive with the gift of life He so generously bestowed up on us. He has no plans to offer retirement from good stewardship to any of us.
Even if we are lucky enough to be able to retire from our jobs, a truly modern invention in the history of the human race, God calls us to work and be productive in His vineyard because we have proclaimed our faith in Him. Without some serious medical reason, we can’t just sit in front of a television with the intention of letting someone else do it. We can’t rest on our laurels for the good things we have done in the past because our past success is an indication of our call from God in the present and for the future. From those to whom much has been given much will be required.
We’ve all heard the saying “use it or lose it” and there are examples right around us. Well, by means of this parable, Jesus warns us that those who just sit on what God has given them and fail to get involved in life will lose what little they were given by God.
The athlete that stops training loses the ability to perform the tasks once taken for granted. I am a living example of that. When my competitive swimming days were over after nearly twelve years of practice, I vowed never to swim another lap. Now, if I wanted to do a lap in butterfly I would gag on the water. If I wanted to do a lap in backstroke I would sink off the starting block. The same type thing happens to a football player who lifts weights for years of training and then “retires.” All that built-up muscle relaxes and the player in time turns into a ball of blubber.
The rule applies to other disciplines as well. A person who speaks a foreign language loses competency unless there is regular and active participation in conversation in that language. Singers that don’t practice lose the edge in their voice and are unable to perform at their best. Priests and ministers who don’t read, pray and familiarize themselves with the lives of the people in their congregation cannot preach a homily.
Today, Jesus asks us to recall what gifts we have received from God and reminds us to develop them and share them for the good of the Kingdom of God.
In coming weeks, we have many opportunities to share our gifts with others at Holy Rosary.
· The preparation of Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets is a wonderful way to share from our personal bounty.
· The Angel Trees will be going up soon to solicit gifts for needy people.
· The Ecumenical Thanksgiving Prayer Service is a week from Tuesday and our presence is so important in our work for the unity of the Church for which Jesus himself prayed.
· And next Sunday, the Altar Society is sponsoring a parish-wide bake sale and is soliciting everyone’s help
This is the time of the year that we are easily reminded that a single twig snaps very easily, but a bunch of twigs bound together in faith and purpose cannot be broken. Each of us, with all our blessings, is a twig. Individually we can do very little, but bound together in the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed we can accomplish great things for God’s glory. But we cannot fall into the trap of assuming that someone else will do what we are very capable of doing. When that happens, the usual result is that nothing gets done.
I think back just a few short weeks ago when we were all wondering what to do to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. All it took was one young woman with an idea that we rallied around and miracles were accomplished right in our midst. And, all it took was one suggestion from a single coach and a group of men were down in Biloxi contributing to the clean-up effort.
With what gift or gifts has God entrusted you? How did you use your gifts this past week for God’s glory? What return on your gifts do you have to offer today?
Scott Libby is a Presbyterian minister who was filling in for a pastor away on vacation. He decided to go to the church early to familiarize himself with the order of worship and to get a feel for the “lay of the land.”
He happened upon the church nursery in which he found just one unattended little boy. He greeted the youngster and asked why he was alone.
“No one has come to keep me company, Mister.”
Rev. Libby replied, “I’m sure somebody will be along very soon.”
The preacher started to walk away, and he heard the little boy’s voice chase after him like the Hound of Heaven, “Why not you, Mister?”
In a world that seems to have lost its sense of personal responsibility and accountability, the parable in today’s Gospel sounds a warning that not only we, but groups and corporations must heed.
We have seen corporate irresponsibility wipe out thousands of people’s financial security. Greed coupled with dishonesty is always a lose-lose proposition. Enron. WorldCom. United Airlines.
When it is all too tempting to say “I will do as I please; everyone else be damned”, Jesus reminds us that we will be held accountable for personal decisions. And, we will be held accountable not only for what we do but also for what we fail to do.
In the parable, the Master gives each of his servants a different amount of his wealth to protect and work. Notice that not all the servants received equal portions. They were given talents each according to his ability. But each was expected to be equally responsible with the portion allotted him.
Now, while the talents of which Jesus spoke were portions of financial wealth, a “talent” being a measure of silver equal to a full year’s wages, we can find a modern application of the word in St. Paul when he writes that some have the gifts to be deacons, some teachers, some administrators, and so on. Not all of us receive the same gifts or talents from God. Some of us are better at one thing than others are, and some who are good at the same thing discover that there is even a degree of capability among those with the same gift.
For example, there are people like me who love to sing and can occasionally get a melody right with some accompaniment. (I remember the eighth grade Christmas party in 1964 when I was unlucky enough to pull out of the game bag the instruction to sing the Beatles’ “If I Fell” in front of the class. If I remember correctly I was asked to take my seat after just four or five measures.)
Then there are those who have some talent and are parish cantors or choir members.
Then there are the “Three Tenors.”
When we recognize that we have a special gift we are called to develop it and use it for the glory of God. That is why God blessed us in the first place. Being faithful to God is more than having “faith.” It means that we respond in faith with good works. St. James tells us that faith without works is dead. Our lives as faithful stewards require both faith and work. We cannot just sit around thinking God is going to drop some wonderful blessing into our laps because we have faith in Him.
It’s a lot like expecting a candy bar from a machine into which we have put no money. We pull the knobs or press the buttons in the hope that someone else put money into the machine. That happens usually, well, next to never. And those who are old enough to remember pay phones … how many times did you stick your fingers into the coin return tray in the hopes of receiving something for nothing? Bet you couldn’t make a living that way, could you?
God expects us to be productive all the days of our lives. Oh, the type of work we do may change from age to age in a lifetime, but God still expects us to be productive with the gift of life He so generously bestowed up on us. He has no plans to offer retirement from good stewardship to any of us.
Even if we are lucky enough to be able to retire from our jobs, a truly modern invention in the history of the human race, God calls us to work and be productive in His vineyard because we have proclaimed our faith in Him. Without some serious medical reason, we can’t just sit in front of a television with the intention of letting someone else do it. We can’t rest on our laurels for the good things we have done in the past because our past success is an indication of our call from God in the present and for the future. From those to whom much has been given much will be required.
We’ve all heard the saying “use it or lose it” and there are examples right around us. Well, by means of this parable, Jesus warns us that those who just sit on what God has given them and fail to get involved in life will lose what little they were given by God.
The athlete that stops training loses the ability to perform the tasks once taken for granted. I am a living example of that. When my competitive swimming days were over after nearly twelve years of practice, I vowed never to swim another lap. Now, if I wanted to do a lap in butterfly I would gag on the water. If I wanted to do a lap in backstroke I would sink off the starting block. The same type thing happens to a football player who lifts weights for years of training and then “retires.” All that built-up muscle relaxes and the player in time turns into a ball of blubber.
The rule applies to other disciplines as well. A person who speaks a foreign language loses competency unless there is regular and active participation in conversation in that language. Singers that don’t practice lose the edge in their voice and are unable to perform at their best. Priests and ministers who don’t read, pray and familiarize themselves with the lives of the people in their congregation cannot preach a homily.
Today, Jesus asks us to recall what gifts we have received from God and reminds us to develop them and share them for the good of the Kingdom of God.
In coming weeks, we have many opportunities to share our gifts with others at Holy Rosary.
· The preparation of Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets is a wonderful way to share from our personal bounty.
· The Angel Trees will be going up soon to solicit gifts for needy people.
· The Ecumenical Thanksgiving Prayer Service is a week from Tuesday and our presence is so important in our work for the unity of the Church for which Jesus himself prayed.
· And next Sunday, the Altar Society is sponsoring a parish-wide bake sale and is soliciting everyone’s help
This is the time of the year that we are easily reminded that a single twig snaps very easily, but a bunch of twigs bound together in faith and purpose cannot be broken. Each of us, with all our blessings, is a twig. Individually we can do very little, but bound together in the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed we can accomplish great things for God’s glory. But we cannot fall into the trap of assuming that someone else will do what we are very capable of doing. When that happens, the usual result is that nothing gets done.
I think back just a few short weeks ago when we were all wondering what to do to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. All it took was one young woman with an idea that we rallied around and miracles were accomplished right in our midst. And, all it took was one suggestion from a single coach and a group of men were down in Biloxi contributing to the clean-up effort.
With what gift or gifts has God entrusted you? How did you use your gifts this past week for God’s glory? What return on your gifts do you have to offer today?
Scott Libby is a Presbyterian minister who was filling in for a pastor away on vacation. He decided to go to the church early to familiarize himself with the order of worship and to get a feel for the “lay of the land.”
He happened upon the church nursery in which he found just one unattended little boy. He greeted the youngster and asked why he was alone.
“No one has come to keep me company, Mister.”
Rev. Libby replied, “I’m sure somebody will be along very soon.”
The preacher started to walk away, and he heard the little boy’s voice chase after him like the Hound of Heaven, “Why not you, Mister?”
