For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves
and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another
two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The
one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them,
and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents
made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and
dug a hole in the ground and hid his master´s money. After a long time the
master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who
had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying,
´Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more
talents.´ His master said to him, ´Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you
have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things;
enter into the joy of your master.´ And the one with the two talents also came
forward, saying, ´Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made
two more talents.´ His master said to him, ´Well done, good and trustworthy
slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of
many things; enter into the joy of your master.´ Then the one who had received
the one talent also came forward, saying, ´Master, I knew that you were a harsh
man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter
seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you
have what is yours.´ But his master replied, ´You wicked and lazy slave! You
knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not
scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my
return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent
from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who
have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who
have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave,
throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.´ (Matthew 25: 14-30)
Introductory Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I know that you don’t want me to live my life in fear. Only one
type of fear is legitimate: the fear of losing you. Because I know you will
never leave me, I am not afraid of this either. I know that I can lose you only
if I leave you. Jesus, I place my hope in you and offer you all my love.
Petition: Heavenly
Father, grant me the grace of increased hope and trust in you.
1. To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Expected: At times, life can seem a little overwhelming, and we can feel
we just don’t have what it takes. Then we are reminded of a certain truth:
Christ never gives us more than we can handle! When Christ gives us a mission
or allows a temptation, he always provides the talents and grace to complete
that mission or resist that temptation. What, then, is there to be afraid of?
Each of us has been given a certain amount of talents; thus, we are expected to
bear a certain amount of fruit. We are not expected to bear fruit beyond the
talents we have been given. Each of us is faithful to the degree in which we
glorify God by using our talents!
2. There Is Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself: St. Paul tells us that “God is love.” There is, then, only one
proper response to him: love. It is amazing to think that we can fear him who
is described simply as “love.” We might fear what will happen in the future –
college, job, family, etc. – but does this really solve anything? If we look
into the past, it’s easy to see that many of our fears were unfounded and
unrealized. So why is this fear present? Satan will use any means to separate
us from our God who is love. If he can’t get us to fall by committing sin, he
paints a picture that might make us fear or fall into discouragement. It has
been said that “after mortal sin our biggest enemy is discouragement.” Our
faults keep us humble, aware that we are always in need of Christ. No
disposition brings greater joy to the heart of Christ than that of a humble,
trustful child.
3. Take a Risk for Christ:
Christ took the ultimate risk for me! He died knowing full well that I might
not choose him, and yet the small chance that I would, far outweighed the
chance that I would reject him. Again I am reminded that Christ didn’t die for
a whole mass of people, but that he died for each of us individually: He died
for me! Jesus, I want to be like the first disciples who loved you with an
unrestrained love. I want to go out on a limb for you! I want to offer my life
for the salvation of one soul, knowing full well that he might not choose you!
Conversation with Christ:
Lord Jesus, I know that you do not want me to be afraid of failure. I know that
if I try my hardest for you, there will be no such thing. Please help me always
to fight courageously in order to better myself for your glory.
Resolution: Today, when the opportunity presents itself, I will speak to someone
about Christ.
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