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In today's Gospel reading, a parable, each servant receive one cold coin, but some invest it better than others. There are some gifts that God has given all of us in equal measure and some that we each receive in varying degrees. At Baptism we receive the gifts of faith, hope and love in seed form, so to speak, and it's up to us to make sure that they are cultivated, irrigated and exposed to enough light so that they will grow and bear fruit. These gifts of faith, hope and love are not given to each of us just for rainy days, like today, or moments of trial, but rather to keep us focused on who we are as children of God and heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Exercising these virtues is like earning gold, one coin at a time.
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How often have I thanked God for His gifts of faith, hope and love?
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Do I strive to grow in these virtues by keeping my heart set on things of heaven and through charity towards my neighbor?
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Remember hearing in the Gospel of St John: "God is love"? God's essence is self-giving. The man in our Gospel reading today who hid his coin could not discover or fathom this reality, but the man who "spent" his gold coin found this out as he was able to earn more money. Jesus' death on the Cross is the perfect example of the transformation of sacrifice and self-giving into fruitfulness.
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Is Jesus our King if we don't follow Him?
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We have much to give up but we have so much more to gain by using our talents for His Kingdom.
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Lord Jesus,
I am sometimes afraid of what it means to die to myself.
Help me to use all of my talents
for Your Kingdom.
Help me to realize that I have nothing to lose
and everything to gain
and to take steps courageously to love You.
Amen
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