In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, Verses 19-21, Jesus said,
“After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”
Through the dialogue between the master and his servants in the Parable of the Talents, we can get a glimpse into God’s plan.
It turns out that God wants to forge and refine us, starting with the small things. When He sends us to complete jobs of any size, He will, first, provide us with sufficient resources and ability, that is, “talents”.
In the parable, the master’s “departure” reflects God’s trust for us, and at the same time, God also wants us to trust Him. When we encounter problems that are too difficult for us, God will never abandon us. In fact, when we cry out to Him for help, He will graciously hear our prayers. At the appropriate time, He will “return”. This may seem like the time to settle the account; however, He only hopes to encourage us in person, and to offer support or new directions to us. If we are like the diligent servant in the parable, He will be very excited and say, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21). He will then give us more support, especially more “talents”. We are nurtured through this endless cycle in which we grow in strength, maturity, and holiness. Such is our earthly journey; a process that refines and forges us, and prepares us for entering into God’s kingdom.
God wants us to participate in His salvific work, not because He needs us, but it is we who need to be equipped through this work. As we grow in strength and wisdom through different trials during our earthly journey, our Father in Heaven empowers us to gradually reject our old “self”, separate ourselves from sins, and finally return to the Father’s embrace.
If we can follow Jesus’ examples, make Him the centre of our lives, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us, we will become more and more like our Father in Heaven. That is, in God’s image. This is the most important goal of our life.
One of the keys in the entire process is that we need to set aside time.
If the master asks us to be “in charge of many things” but our time has already been fully occupied with our own plans or with our preferences, how could we find time to accept this new mission?
Thus, God’s plan to mold and form us will never materialize! When we are unwilling or too busy, we are “refusing” God’s good intention. This leaves God with no other option but to choose another person for the job.
Imagine this: On the day of the Annunciation, if our Holy Mother had concerned herself with her own plans and desires and left no room to hear God’s invitation through the angel, or had turned down God’s invitation due to her reluctance to forgo her original plans, wouldn’t the history of salvation need to be rewritten?
Therefore, we must stay “awake”, not only because of the need to guard against committing sins, but we also need to always have an open heart and be willing to accept any invitation from God, whatever it may be; even if we feel that the mission is beyond our strength and ability or is contradictory to our original plans, we should gladly lay down ourselves to follow God’s will. Our Lord Jesus Christ and our Mother Mary have devoted their entire lives for this purpose alone.
Jesus teaches the crowd in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 9, Verse 23,
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
This teaching of Jesus succinctly summarizes how we should follow Him so that we may become true Christians.
We need to lay down our own will, set aside time, be ready to be sent, be prepared mentally, and willingly endure sufferings for the sake of following Christ. This road of suffering leads us to our Father’s house where our Heavenly Father patiently awaits us; He will say to us, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21)
Reflection
Imagine this: If God invites you, rather unexpectedly, to lay down all of your current work and plans, how would you respond?
Do you look forward to the work/mission to which God has called you? Or, would you respond with fear and try to hide from God’s invitation?
Once you recognize the cost of following Christ, would you still be willing to accept more “talents”, go where God is sending you, and devote your life to serve Him?
Today’s Prayer
My God and my Lord, though I often called you “my Lord”, I admit that my heart is distracted, focusing on what pleases me instead of You. I recognize my selfishness. I have failed to make time for You; I have been unwilling to be ready for Your commissioning; I have failed to truly accept Your mission for me with joy and to do things that are pleasing to You. You, the master and creator of the universe, are my Lord and my God. How sad I have made You! Let me not be self-centred anymore, but be Your faithful servant wholeheartedly. May I remain faithful to You in everything I do, no matter how big or small they are, and persevere to the end. Lord, I promise to honour You all the days of my life. Amen!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
A parish priest has once asked us not to be so ‘humble’ when being requested to take up more responsibilities in the church. While I understand the underlining meaning of his words, I often used the excuses of ‘not being talented/not ready’. Back then, I was not aware that in reality I have no faith in God.
To be frank, I cannot say I look forward to any new work God has for me . I am still uncertain if I will instantly put aside my original plan and accept God’s unexpected invitation. There have always been struggle in knowing and putting what I know into action. I do pray for the stamina to follow Jesus and will not be led astray on the way. Do help me Lord!