14-Nov-2017 Dear Friend, When we invest in anything or anyone, we expect returns. Parents invest in their children and expect them to do well in their studies. People in business take risks with stocks and shares and hope to make a good profit. Generous and benevolent individuals and institutions take calculated risks, invest in people and ventures, and expect that their investments will be worth their efforts. Even God invests in us by giving us life and numerous blessings. Have we belied His trust? May his Word jolt us! Have an introspecting weekend! -Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: 33rd “Using every talent we are blessed with for God’s service!” 19-Nov-2017Pro. 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31; 1 Thes. 5: 1-6; Matt. 25: 14-30; The first reading from the book of Proverbs is part of the Wisdom literature of Israel. It sets forth how we are to live and behave in our daily life. Today’s excerpt from Proverbs idolizes the ideal wife, who is practical and manages the household so well that she is prized above all things by her husband. The reading reminds the Israelites of the great gift and companionship that an ideal wife is. She is diligent about household matters and is held up as a model of how a simple ordinary housewife can use her talents to the full in the service not only of her own family but for others as well. Are we living our lives to the fullest and making something of our lives?
What have I made of myself?Once a re-union took place of past pupils and an elderly priest who had come back to be present at the re-union. It was obvious from the way they flocked around him that he enjoyed great respect among them. Without the slightest promptings, they began to pour out their stories. One was an architect, another was a university professor, another was a head of a company, another was a highly successful farmer, another was a monsignor in the Church, and another was a principal of a very prestigious school. The old priest listened with pleasure, as there didn’t seem to be a single failure or loser among them. Whey they had finished he complimented them on their achievements. Then, looking at them with affection, he said, “And now, tell me what you have made of yourselves?” A long silence followed. They were reluctant to speak of themselves. It seems they were so absorbed in their careers that they had neglected their personal lives. Their energies were so focused on efficiency and success that they didn’t have time to grow emotionally, with the result that in terms of relationships many of them were impoverished. Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ In today’s Gospel Jesus uses a parable of the talents to illustrate how we should live our lives to the fullest if we are to be pleasing to God. In the parable, the rich man, before he leaves for a journey gives incredible sums to three servants –the first, ten talents, the second, five talents and the third, one talent, which alone equaled the wages of an ordinary worker for twenty years! Without further instructions, the man departs. Hurriedly, the first two servants doubled their gifts, while the one-talent man dug a hole in the ground and hid his. Upon returning the rich man asked his servants what happened to his money. After identical responses about doubling his gift, the first two are called ‘good and faithful servant’ and are placed in charge of even more possessions and welcomed into the joy of the master. While the first two servants were praised, the third servant was treated differently. When he was asked what he had done with the talent received, he said, “I went off and buried your talent in the ground.” The master berates the man as wicked and lazy, and tells him that he should have invested the money with bankers, and then he takes the one talent and gives it to the one who already had ten, and exiles the timid servant to the outer darkness. Why was the timid servant condemned? The tragic flaw of the timid one is that he lived out of fear even when gifted. Every gift of God is also a mandate to bear fruit in God’s vineyard. Some people are so good that they are good-for-nothing! It does not matter how many talents we have but how well we use them. We also need to realize that life and everything we have is a gift from the Lord and we have to be accountable for the gifts received. “Give it your best shot!”Tom Demsey was born without a right hand and with only half a right foot. He went to school and played football. He even played on a junior college team in California. In time, he began to place kick for the team. He got so good that eventually the New Orleans Saints signed him. On November 8, 1970, the saints were trailing Detroit 17-16 with two seconds to go. They had the ball on the Detroit 45-yard line. New Orleans coach J.D. Roberts tapped Tom on the shoulder and said, “Go out there and give it your best shot!” The holder set the ball down eight yards behind the line of scrimmage, instead of seven, to give Dempsey a split second more time to get the ball off. This put the ball 63 yards from the uprights. The rest of the story is history. Tom’s half right foot made perfect contact. Tom later said in the Newsweek magazine: “I couldn’t follow the ball that far. But I saw the official’s arms go up, and I can’t describe how great I felt.” The saints won the game by 19-17, and Dempsey shattered the NFL field goal record by seven yards. - What does the story have to do with today’s gospel? Tom Dempsey had very few, if any, talents for playing football. Yet he used the very few talents he had to accomplish a great deal. He not only played pro football; he set a pro football record that still stands.Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ Our birth placeIt has been said that our true birthplace is the place in which we awaken to our gifts and talents. Often it takes an outsider to recognize the talents. Just as the sun helps to bring to birth the fragrant flowers that lie hidden in the soil of the fields, so there are people who find their fulfillment in helping to unfold the talents God has deposited in others. The Russian writer, Fydor Dostoevsky, was only 20 when he wrote his first book, entitled, Poor Folk. The foremost critic of the day was a man by the name of Belinksy. When Belinsky read the manuscript of the young Dostoevsky he said: “You have a great gift. Take good care of this gift and you will become a great writer.” Dostoevsky was intoxicated by the words of the famous critic. Many years later he wrote, “That was the happiest moment of my life.” The recognition of Belinsky confirmed him in his belief of his own talent. It did more. It launched him on his way. He spent the rest of his life expressing himself through his writing. One of our greatest needs is to express ourselves. Unless we express ourselves, we cannot realize or fulfill ourselves. Sadly, a lot of talent goes unexpressed. It is in living that we discover our talent. Every talent has to be discovered. A lot of discipline, patience and hard work are required if a talent has to bear full fruit. We see this in the first two servants in Jesus‘ story. We see the opposite of it in the case of the third servant. It wasn’t the harshness of the master that prevented him from using his talent, nor was it lack of opportunity, He himself was to blame. We can’t take credit for our talent. Life is God’s gift to us. What we do with our life is our gift to God.Flor McCarthy in “New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies” Foretaste of heavenThe legendary American violinist, Yahudi Menuhin, was but seven when he performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in public. Aged ten, his violin recital at London’s Royal Albert Hall was so phenomenal that Albert Einstein who heard him reportedly whispered to the child prodigy, “Today you have proved to me that there is a God in heaven!” Indeed when one experiences talent developed in so short a time, one gets a glimpse of God, a foretaste of heaven. Today’s readings suggest that God wants us to use our talents and treasures before time runs out. Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ Name your talentsA friend of mine, a successful businessman, told me this story. Once, during a long season when his work was suffering, he began to wonder if he should find another occupation. One of his sisters’ kids listening to his doubts took a pencil and wrote on a piece of paper what she must have learned at her catechism class: “God created you to use your talents. Name them.” The last words were underlined for emphasis. She taped the paper nearby his computer where they are to this day. –All life is a risk. People who are afraid of risking anything or taking chances do not win. Fear is not the mother of invention or discovery. Fear paralyzes action. Fearful people will be concerned about their own skin and security.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ Never too late to make your markAntonio Stradivaris was born in Cremona, Italy. He had a very high and squeaky voice. Though he loved music and wanted to be a musician, he could not take part in a choir. His friends made fun of him because the talent he had was wood-carving. When Antonio was 22, he became an apprentice to a well-known violin maker Nicholas Amati. Under his master’s training, Antonio’s knack for carving grew, and his hobby became his craft. He started his own violin shop when he was 36. He worked patiently and faithfully. By the time he died at 93, he had built over 1,500 violins. Stradivaris of Cremona are the most sought after and expensive violins in the world. He was not a singer, music player or teacher of music yet he used his ability to make beautiful music.Elias Dias in ‘Divine Stories for Families’ It matters not how many talents we have, but how well we use whatever we have, to better life! Fr. Jude Botelho [email protected] PS. The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. These reflections are also available on my Web site www.NetForLife.net Thank you.
