Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
and works with loving hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward for her labors,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Second reading 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,
you have no need for anything to be written to you.
For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come
like a thief at night.
When people are saying, "Peace and security,"
then sudden disaster comes upon them,
like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,
and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief.
For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day.
We are not of the night or of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,
but let us stay alert and sober.
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master's money.
"After a long time
the master of those servants came back
and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents came forward
bringing the additional five.
He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.’
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
'Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.’
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.'
His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"
Reflection
By Art B. Reyes
Today’s Gospel talks about the Parable of the
Talents. God has given us talents. These
are the skills, the abilities that each of us uniquely possessed. They are just
there, waiting to be discovered, utilized, and put into good use. Our talents
must not be hidden or put to waste but rather be maximized and shared for
common good.
The Gospel says that each man was given talents
“according to his own ability”. Sounds
unfair in worldly standard, but everything is equal, at the end of our days,
when final accounting is done. Each of us will be judged not according to the
quantities of talents we’ve been given but how we developed and used those.
There are people who are good in making money in
their chosen business, and there are those who are big earners in their
lucrative employment. They are successful not only because of their talents,
but because they take action and work hard. In the parable, the man receiving
only 1 talent did not work, and as a result he earned nothing in return.
There are people whose talents are limited but
they excel in what they do. It is because they give their very best. We can all
be successful when we give our finest and leave everything else to God. As in
the story, both servants were successful, even though one ended up with a
greater return.
We fail when we don’t use our talents. We don’t
succeed either when we abuse them. It is our duty to use our talents, no matter
how much we’ve been given. We need to leverage our opportunities. We need to
work, strive, and develop our talents to glorify God in the process.
- - - - - - - - - - -
To date, there are about 52 million people
infected by the deadly Covid 19 virus already. The pandemic has claimed so many
lives and livelihoods. Last Monday,
BioNTech and Pfizer announced that a vaccine for the coronavirus developed by
Dr. Sahin and his team was more than 90 percent effective in preventing the
disease among trial volunteers. The stunning results vaulted the company to the
front of the race to find a cure for a disease that has killed more than 1.2
million people worldwide.
BioNTech, which Dr. Sahin founded with his wife,
Dr. Özlem Türeci, was mostly focused on cancer treatments. They have dedicated
their lives to the field of oncology and infectious diseases, and spent years
pioneering treatments for cancer. Sahin has been described as a "modest
and humble" person. ”Despite his achievements, he never changed from being
incredibly humble and personable," his colleague said.
The couple live with their teenage daughter in a
modest apartment near their office. They ride bicycles to work. They do not own
a car. They are extremely talented but very down to earth people.
Our talent is to be discovered, utilized, and
shared. It is not only for oneself, but for others. Our talents and blessings
should lead us to be humble, and to be grateful to God.
Prayer
Lord, show us the gifts and talents You have
given us. Help us share with others these gifts which we enjoy. Let us learn to
use them for Your glory. Amen.
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