WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2023
WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRTY THIRD WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME A
SAINT CECILIA, Virgin and Martyr (Memorial)
2 Maccabees 7:1.20-31
Luke 19: 11-28
MAXIMIZING GOD’S GIFTS AND WORKING IN TRUST AND FAITH
What distinguishes us as Christians in this world is our total loyalty to God and our earnest desire to cooperate with God in building up His kingdom on earth.
Armed with this resolves, we recognize our different endowments and gifts as tools to further the kingdom of God in the world. No matter the amount and type of gifts we possess, be it material as money, physical wealth, or intangible as wisdom, knowledge, good health, time and many other talents innate in us, all these we must harness and put into practical use for the furtherance of the kingdom of God.
That is the indication and instruction purely that the king issued to his servants in the gospel of this today. The king and our Lord Jesus tells the parable of his ascent to his kingship and describes oppositions to his kingship. But people refuse to acknowledge and accept him as their king and master. This refusal means the total rejection of God as their creator, their God and their Saviour as Jesus Christ tells us. Their opposition is practical, waging war against him, behaving in unbecoming ways and refusal to acknowledge him. But their end is evident. As Jesus predicts, “Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.'” May God never allow us to oppose him or become his enemies through Christ our Lord.
Our duty as his servants entrusted with so much talents is to further his kingdom. And this, Jesus expects of us. We must therefore use his gifts, our talents and endowments in furtherance of his kingdom. Putting such in use is the key, obedience to the master is the resolve and working to make more profit for the master is the mission and task entrusted to us.
The question we must ask ourselves is to what use are we making of the many possessions and endowment that we have been blessed with? What are we doing with the intangible endowments, gifts from our God? Is it for the glory of God or for just our banal use? In practice, how well have we fed the hungry, cloth the naked, visited prisoners, housed the stranger, contributed to the spread of the Good-news of Christ? How much have we invested in helping the destitute, the orphans, the widows and those who have requested our help or those who need our services and attention? How much have your done? And how much do you do each day? Or are you just consumed by your needs and wants that you never remember your mandate to others and to our world?
Keeping our gifts and storing our gifts and talents is not even an option. Reserving them in banks, keeping them in store rooms and even unused talents is worse than anything. But trading with them to make more is laudable and to this end for the use to which is the kingdom of God.
The woman in the first reading encouraged his sons to remember their God, who created them, to be faithful in attending to their faith and to be loyal even in the face of deprivation, torture and cruelty of man and the world. His sons died under the burden of preserving the moral and ethics of their religion. They refused to eat the flesh of pig according to their tradition. They were loyal to the end and paid the price with their lives. How much can we give and actually devote to the service of God and our savior Jesus Christ?
God our creator, we are reminded of our mandate to cooperate with you in building up your kingdom with the many gifts and talents you have given us. Grant us the detachment and the spirit of giving, and of service to your people and our world. May we serve with our material gifts and endowment without counting the cost. Help us to uplift peoples’ lives, to encourage the weak and the poor, to restore hope to the hopeless and build up your Church through Christ our Lord
Fr Norbert Uchuno
