Sunday Readings Discussion - 11/13/05

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All our time, all our talent, all our money belongs to God. He gave those to us and what use we make of them is what we give back to God. We will have to account to God for what we did with the gift He gave us.

If we have used our time, talents and money to build our own kingdom instead of God’s we are going to be in BIG trouble when He audits us.

The 2nd reading ties in really well with this because when "day of the Lord " comes, “like a thief in the night,” we had better be ready to give that account.

As for the 1st reading, I wouldn’t go so far as to claim that my “value is far beyond pearls” but the “beauty fleeting” sure was true and so, I’m happy to say, are the “children like olive plants”
around our table.

When it comes to “Give her a reward for her labors” I prefer to follow my mother’s example and wait for my reward in Heaven rather than be honoured here on earth.
 
The reading from Proverbs gives special homage to the worthy wife. While it seems to differ from the other readings, a closer look shows its connection. The unfailing prize, the real trophy wife, is the woman of faith and character who tends to her husband, her family and the needy. In this way, she foreshadows Christians of both sexes who are faithful to God through their faithfulness to others. She is a steward or caretaker of God’s gifts and uses them for God’s purposes. She is to be rewarded.

Yet the passage calls the stewardship of marriage to mind specifically. In this sacred union, God has entrusted divine love to the care, use and increase of men and women. It involves the same kind of stewardship and accountability which both our Lord and the Apostle mentioned.

Once created by the consent of the parties, God seals marriage so that no human power can dissolve it. He binds a man and woman in a sacred union that is permanent, exclusive, faithful unto death and open to creating new life.

Dcn. John Cameron
Lansing MI
 
I wanted to move straight to the Gospel but got stuck on the first reading. Ahh, the Proverbs 31 woman I am not. It’s interesting here that she is not mentioned as a quiet weak woman. She is strong and very very busy lifting up her husband and providing for her family. Now, us stay at home Mom’s provide for our families just in a different way, but I do find this interesting. She was definately using the talents that God gave her.

I can work like her in spurts but not on a daily basis. I’ll have a day maybe a week of sun up to sun set work work work but then am wiped out both mentally and physically that I can barely do what I have to. Problem is I know people who are sun up to sun set people (one is my mother-in-law; great productive lady), and I just can’t seem as a wife to be like them or the Proverbs 31 woman.
 
Now, on to the talents. This may seem like a silly question, but how does one know what their talents are? Some people’s talents are so obvious they stand out. However, others are subtle that they don’t even know what they are. They may be saying, “Lord, I’d love to use my talents just tell me what they are.” Any thoughts?
 
It took me a long time to discover my talents and when I started discovering them, I was surprised to find I had a gift for teaching. I’d always been terrified of public speaking, and I’m a very private person, so I don’t gravitate towards groups. But as I grew in my faith, I found I was compelled to share all this Good News with my fellow Catholics, especially those who were poorly catechised but wanted to learn more about the riches of our Catholic Faith. So, in my small and limited way, God manages to use me as an apologist and Bible teacher.

(By the way, my Bible study for this weeks readings is now available for viewing on my webpage, linked below.)
 
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Fidelis:
(By the way, my Bible study for this weeks readings is now available for viewing on my webpage, linked below.)
Click to expand...
Yeah! Thanks Fidelis!
 
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Fidelis:
It took me a long time to discover my talents and when I started discovering them, I was surprised to find I had a gift for teaching. I’d always been terrified of public speaking, and I’m a very private person, so I don’t gravitate towards groups. But as I grew in my faith, I found I was compelled to share all this Good News with my fellow Catholics, especially those who were poorly catechised but wanted to learn more about the riches of our Catholic Faith. So, in my small and limited way, God manages to use me as an apologist and Bible teacher.

(By the way, my Bible study for this weeks readings is now available for viewing on my webpage, linked below.)
Click to expand...
I used to choke if I had to speak up. I found myself having to do so to defend Church teaching to both non-Catholics and (as you say) poorly catechised Catholics.

I have since developed in apolegetics and pro-life issues and have given several talks. One was a one hour presentation (incl Q & A) to a couple of hundred people on “How Abortion Affects the Heart and Soul”. I looked out in the audience and recognised several prominent pro-life leaders, which made me nervous, they were more experienced than me.

As I got into my talk i barely looked at my notes, and afterwards had not only those leaders, but also doctors and nurses come up to me and tell me they found my talk informative and had learned something new. WOW

As long as we make ourselves available, God knows what our talents are, and He will find a way to use them.
 
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Fidelis:
It took me a long time to discover my talents and when I started discovering them, I was surprised to find I had a gift for teaching. I’d always been terrified of public speaking, and I’m a very private person, so I don’t gravitate towards groups. But as I grew in my faith, I found I was compelled to share all this Good News with my fellow Catholics, especially those who were poorly catechised but wanted to learn more about the riches of our Catholic Faith. So, in my small and limited way, God manages to use me as an apologist and Bible teacher.

(By the way, my Bible study for this weeks readings is now available for viewing on my webpage, linked below.)
Click to expand...
I used to choke if I had to speak up. I found myself having to do so to defend Church teaching to both non-Catholics and (as you say) poorly catechised Catholics.

I have since developed in apolegetics and pro-life issues and have given several talks. One was a one hour presentation (incl Q & A) to a couple of hundred people on “How Abortion Affects the Heart and Soul”. I looked out in the audience and recognised several prominent pro-life leaders, which made me nervous, they were more experienced than me.

As I got into my talk i barely looked at my notes, and afterwards had not only those leaders, but also doctors and nurses come up to me and tell me they found my talk informative and had learned something new. WOW, it blew me away.

As long as we make ourselves available, God knows what our talents are, and He will find a way to use them.
 
First, I hope what I write does not distract from the other post because I think they reenforce my position.

I think we have to understand all three readings in light of the Church and its role in the world. From the writings of the NT letter’s especially that of Paul throught to the writings of the Church Father, it was almost always understood that what was written in the Scriptures, that is the OT, always pointed towards Christ and the Church. So I see the first reading in light of the role of the Church in the world. The Church is the bride of Christ thus the Church is called to be the loving wife as found in Proverbs.

But the Church is a bride waiting for her husband that is the Second Coming of Christ, therefore the Church must always be viligant in her wait and the only way to be a viligant and faithful wife is to carry out the will of the Husband, Christ which is intrinsiclly united to the Will of the Father.

But as St Paul tells us we are the Church, No? That is why all three readings have for me lessons on not only how the Church must live and function, but how I must live and function - and going back to earlier post we have testimonies how others have concretely been living out this vocation of being the bride of Christ in and through the Church.
 
Thank you all …

Hope many in The Churches tomorrow would offer thanks , for having been able to use their time - in worship, in union with all of heaven …in The Mass …The Infinite Merits being offered up, for the little time spent …the spiritual battles won …

Would there be anything more precious to The Father, than His children, using the time He has given , for the supreme purpose , of getting to know, love ,and adore that Father…to get the inspiration to continue to do so, to do His will ,through the day …the week …

The parents who have been open to the most precious talent of

life …

Every word of comfort , spoken in mercy, forgiveness …

May many who are worried about having buried the talents be

comforted and strenghtened and blessed … :o
 
I hope I’m not too late; I just found this thread.

What did Jesus intend/suggest with this statement from the servant with one talent?

“'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;…”
 
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Breton:
I hope I’m not too late; I just found this thread.

What did Jesus intend/suggest with this statement from the servant with one talent?

“'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;…”
Click to expand...
This verse is a good example of Jesus increasing the drama of the lesson in order to make his point.

Jesus’ parables, though they have many allegorical aspects, are not strict allegories where EVERY person, place, thing, or statement is meant to have hidden meaning. Thus, when we look at the master in this story, though we are to understand him as representing the Lord, it is not meant to be a literal representation.
 
A very powerful Gospel speaking to the heart of every sincere Christian. Let us begin by saying that the talents, referred to in this parable and entrusted to the servants, were monetary units and not talents in the sense of the special ability to do something well.

Pondering this Gospel today, what came to mind was the line from the Psalms “What return can I make to my God for His goodness to me?” For I believe that the recipe for making a return to the Lord has been given here in this Gospel.

Look at the three servenats put in front of us.

The first was given 5 talents. The second was given 2 talents and the third 1. To the human mind this seems very unfair and may even hint at favouritism. The one who gets the 5 talents seems to be more highly favoured than the one who gets one. Now Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of God is like this.

God gives to each according to their ability.
He gives exactly what he knows that person is able to work with.
The command to each is identical. What is entrusted is different.
We always see around us neighbours and friends who seem to be given more by God than we have been given. We also see those who have been given less. I guess most of us would consider ourselves to be the second slave where we are given not as much as the first but not as little as the third servant.

All servants received exactly what they were able to work with. Had the first received 7 talents he may not have been able to make a full return. Had the second received 3 talents then again he may not have been able to effect a full 100% return. God gave each exactly what they could handle and do best with.

Envy is rife in our hearts. Suspicion is its partner. We are facinated with the amounts others are given or have accumulated. We always feel that we never seem to meaure up in this area. We seem to think that we never have enough.

Let me state this once: God has given us exactly what He knows we can work with. He has given us a measure from which we sould make a return for Him and to Him.

When the first servant returns he returns with 10 talents composed of 5 new talents along with the 5 talents originally entrusted to him.
When the second returns he returns with 4 talents composed of 2 new talents along with the 2 talents originally entrusted to him.
Surely the return of the first servant is most pleasing to the master? if we were the master in this case, of course we would be more delighted with a servant who would bring us a fruit of €10,000 as opposed to €4,000 irrespective of the amount entrusted?

God’s ways are not our ways. God’s ways are as high above ours as the heavens are above the earth.

The response of the master to each of the first two servants is exactly the same word for word. There is no differentiation in the reward. "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness"

This is because the return in % terms in equal. Both the first and second servant have returned a 100% increase on what was entrusted to them. Both have received exactly the same reward. God has not seen quantity but quality. the master has seen the work done by both the first and second servants to increase the amount entrusted to them by 100% and has blessed it and rewarded it richly. Both are invited to come and join in the masters happiness.

So there we have it. In our eyes the first and second servants seems to be very different in the amount entrusted to them and in the amount they have managed to return. In God’s eyes the amound given out and the amount taken back have no difference. Both receive an equal reward.

This too is the least we should return to the Lord on all He has given to us. To return anything less would be cheating God. Yes, cheating God.

We do not have the excuse that God expects too much from us as remember He gives us only exactly the amount he knows we can make a full return on. To return anything less than 100% makes us like the third servant, i.e. the one who had an excuse for not making a return to his master.

Of course there are those special few who strive to return more than the 100% to God. Some have attained 150%, 200%, 300% etc. This is good. This is very good indeed. All of these along with those who return the minimum 100% are saints.

cont…
 
What are our excuses today?

Contraception is burying the talent of love God has freely given us and entrusted to us and the talent of self giving love that husband and wife have entrusted to each other. There is nothing so sad as to see a young couple pledge their undying love for each other, promising to give each other all they posess at the Altar of God and then go into the married state and bury the gift of fertility. Not only do they hide this most precious gift of God, but they purposly make no return upon it. They bury it not only to hide it from God, they hide it from one another!
Abortion is burying the talent of parenthood. It also burys the talent of being cooperators in God plan of creation.
Euthanaisa is burying the talent of caring; burying the talent of respect and dignity.
These three burials must be the most serious as they make no return on the greatest gift of God freely given; the great gift of LOVE.

Just as the third servant had his excuses for burying his talent, so we have ours. Yet none of these excuses, no matter how plausible they may seem are acceptable to God.

Infidelity and divorce are fruits of burying the talent of dedication and love.
Disengagement and preoccupation with self interests are fruits of burying the talent of love of God and the talent of love of neighbour.
Poverty and greed are the fruits of burying the talent of compassion and the talent of charity.
Despair and worry are fruits of burying the talent of faith.

So you see much as we would like to think we are on par with the second servant, if there is anything God has given us on which we have made no return, then we have fallen into line with the third servant and sould be prepared to hear "You wicked and lazy servant!.. be thrown out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."
So! The next time we consider as the Psalmist did, "How do I repay my God for His goodness to me?", think of unburying the talents you have hidden and begin making a return on them. Do not rest until you return to the Lord 100% increase on all he has entrusted to you.
 
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Fidelis:
This verse is a good example of Jesus increasing the drama of the lesson in order to make his point.

Jesus’ parables, though they have many allegorical aspects, are not strict allegories where EVERY person, place, thing, or statement is meant to have hidden meaning. Thus, when we look at the master in this story, though we are to understand him as representing the Lord, it is not meant to be a literal representation.
Click to expand...
hello fidelis, thanks …yes you are right , yet it is so inviting - to try… 🙂
Now suppose the talents and the servants are in relation to souls and those entrusted to care for them…
The one with the one talent knew The Master , " Thou reapest where thou has not sown …" - ? sinners , entrusted to each of those who have the precious talent of faith …
“being afraid, I went and hid thy talent” - being lazy and lukewarm - " the Church is too hard …" - and this even when The Master reminds - 'you ought to have committed My money to the bankers " - could have participated , interceding with The Church and so on…
The beautiful and powerful Divine mercy devotion,( www. thedivinemercy.org) esp. the nine day novena ( that can be said at other times as well ) portray this well - the prayers of bringing each day a particular group of souls to The Father…“Ask and you shall receieve …” In a world where many don’t even see the need to ask, may be The Father expects that atleast those who have the talents would …
Jesus , I trust in You !
Have mercy on us and the whole world !
 
Father discussed the importance of using our God given talents as probably most priests discussed today. What he ended with was the quote from Blessed Mother Theresa that goes something like “There are no great acts just small acts performed with great love.” It helped put everything into perspective for me. The whole question I had about, “What are my talents?” was answered.
 
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