Heavenly Investment

Weekly Missionary Reflection
33rd Sunday in ordinary time, 19 November 2023
Prov. 31:10-13,19-20,30-31; Ps. 128:1-2,3,4-5; 1Thess. 5:1-6; Matt. 25:14-30 (long) or Matt. 25:14-15,19-21 (short)

After reading the parable of the Talents told by Jesus, a question arises: Why did Jesus tell this parable and what lesson did He would like to convey? This parable tells us something important about how Jesus treats us, His disciples and servants. This parable first talks about the Master’s trust in His servants. When he was going on a journey, he left his money (talents) for them to spend according to their needs. Despite with no binding, this trust is a test to see if those servants were diligent and reliable enough to manage the wealth or talent entrusted to them. The master would grant rewards to those who were diligent and loyal and would punish those who stayed indolent and didn’t do anything with the money.

What is the meaning of this parable? This parable means more than just a financial investment. God has given each of us different talents, and He expects us to utilize those talents in our ministry. We should not hide or neglect those talents. Like the tree servants in this parable, there is no same talent among each of us. The return expected by the Lord is equal to the talents given to us. The servant who receives one talent is punished not because he failed to gain the five or two times profit, instead he didn’t do anything to anything given to him.

God does not grant each of us with the same or equal talents and God does not expect the same yield of each work of us. In this parable, one servant made another 5 talents and the other made two talents. The master commended them equally (Matt. 25:23). Please note that both servants invested for their master, and they returned to the master both the capital they received and the yield. 

Through this parable of the talents, Jesus tells an important principle about reward and position for the believers in heaven. What the believers will receive in the Kingdom of God depends on what they have now. Position and inheritance in heaven will be equal to their present devotion. Talents refer to our capability, skill, social status, education, experience, time, and opportunity to serve God during our living on this earth. Those are the talents that God entrusts to us and we are responsible to manage them as wisely as possible. 

God appreciates everybody who use their talents and gift to do good deeds. If we do good deeds, we will be placed among the loyal and trustworthy servants, no matter how big our achievement is. On the contrary, if we neglect what God has entrusted to us, we will lose what we have.

Do we strive to serve God with the gift, talent, and grace that He has granted to us? May we not only think and work for the financial investment in this world, but more than that we make a heavenly investment by developing and using the “talent” that God has entrusted to us to serve Him and His Kingdom.

(RP. Silvester Nusa, CSsR – Lecturer of Weetebula Catholic University, NTT)

DAILY DEDICATED PRAYER

Lord, our Father, I present my today prayer, thought, word, work, joy, and sorrow in unity with Your Son, Jesus Christ, who always presents Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit animating Jesus, also be my guidance and strength today so that I am ready to be the witness of Your love.

Together with St. Mary, Mother of Jesus, and the Church, in particular, I present my prayer for our Pope and apostle prayer of the Indonesian Church of this month:

For the Pope
We pray for the Holy Father; as he fulfills his mission, may he continue to accompany the flock entrusted to him, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

For Sexual Violence
We pray that the ecclesiastical institutions can create a safe environment and sense of security and also enforce the protocol that can prevent sexual violence against the weak and vulnerable.

Amen.