Homily for September 1, 2018.
_“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.” *(Matthew 25:21)*_
We do not all have equal opportunities in life but we all have equal abilities to make the best of our opportunities. Some of us were born with silver spoons, others with “clay pots.” Some were born into homes of physical, psychological and mental abuse, some into havens of love, abundance and peace. Some of us knew God even before we knew sin, others only came to know God at a later age.
This is the point St. Paul makes in today’s first reading. He says “not many of you were wise, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth…” but God, the perfect equalizer. choose what is foolish to shame the wise and what is weak to shame the strong so that at the end, NO ONE CAN BOAST about anything. In other words, that you came from a Christian home or that you came from a wealthy home does not mean you are “better” or even “luckier” than anyone else. Why boast when you did not choose your parents or the home you were born into?
One can actually look at life and blame God for being so unfair. The parable of the talents given by Jesus in today’s Gospel passage answers these questions. The master had three servants and to one he gave five talents, to another, two talents and to the third, he gave one talent. There is just no way we can all be the same; there is no way we can all have the same amount of talents and gifts.
Rather than engage in useless competitions with one another or expend so much energies fighting for equality (a fight that will never end), rather than engage in the “pull-him-down” games we play often, there is much peace that comes with accepting our own truths and realizing it is not what we have that counts but how we manage it.
About thirty to twenty-five years ago, two men in this country became millionaires. They had the same amount of wealth. One decided to build the biggest mansion in the world with his money and the other decided to begin a bank. Today, that mansion has become a useless artefact but the bank today is one of the best in the country. You see, even if we were all to have the same opportunities today, we can never be equal still.
Dear friends, stop complaining about what you don’t have or that someone else happens to be more favoured than you. Focus on your own opportunities, use even your limitations and lack to your advantage; trade with your own unique talents – make the best of your unique situation.
You see, the one who got two talents did not ask for more simply because another got five. He traded with his and produced four while the other produced ten. Your two talents can never produce ten. God will not judge you for failing to produce ten. He knows four is your capacity. You are unique, you are different, your entire life is itself an opportunity; use it and make the best of it. Stop competing with others. Compete with your own self by striving to be better than what you were yesterday.
Finally, the one who got only one talent is like most of us who are so envious of others that we fail to look inwards and realize our own potentials. We bury our talents by continuous complaints and failure to give thanks and seize the opportunities available to us. This man was so used to complaining that when the master arrived, he complained about the master’s character saying he was a hard man bla, blah blah. Stop blaming God, stop asking “why me?” Stop looking at the expanse of your lack or the seemingly “unfairness” of God, take your one talent today and start working!
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, make me realize that my very life is an opportunity. Amen.
*Happy new month. Welcome to the Ember-ember season of festivities and joy. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 21st week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Psalm 33:12-21 and Matthew 25:14-30).*
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