1 September 2023 - Obly By Grace Reflections

First Reading: First Thessalonians 4: 9-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 98: 1, 7-8, 9
Alleluia: John 13: 34
Gospel: Matthew 25: 14-30

Jesus' story about a businessman who leaves town and entrusts his money with his workers made perfect sense to his audience. Wealthy merchants and businessmen often had to travel abroad and leave the business to others to handle while they were gone.

Why did Jesus tell this story and what can it teach us? Most importantly it tells us something about how God deals with us, His disciples and servants. The parable speaks first of the Master's trust in his servants. While he goes away he leaves them with his money to use as they think best. While there were no strings attached, this was obviously a test to see if the Master's workers would be industrious and reliable in their use of the money entrusted to them. The essence of the parable seems to lie in the servants' conception of responsibility. Each servant entrusted with the master's money was faithful up to a certain point. The servant who buried the master's money was irresponsible. One can bury seeds in the ground and expect them to become productive because they obey natural laws. Coins, however, do not obey natural laws. They obey economic laws and become productive in circulation. The master expected his servants to be productive in the use of his money.

The Lord entrusts us with gifts and graces. With each gift and talent, God gives sufficient means grace and wisdom for using them in a fitting way. As the parable of the talents shows, God abhors indifference and an attitude that says it's not worth trying. God honors those who use their talents and gifts for doing good.

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