Posted on 08/26/2016 8:41:08 PM PDT by Salvation
"What do you have that you not received?" (1Cor. 4,7)
“What do you have that you have not received?” St. Paul says to us (1Cor. 4,7). So let us not be greedy of our goods as though they belonged to us…They have been entrusted to our care; we have the use of a wealth in common, not the eternal possession of a personal good. If you acknowledge that this good is yours only for a time here below, you will be able to gain a possession in heaven that will never end. Remember the servants in the gospel who had received some talents from their master and what the master, on his return, rendered to each of them. You will then understand that to place your money on the Lord’s table to make it bear fruit is far more profitable than to preserve it in fruitless faithfulness without its returning anything back to its creditor, to the great loss of the useless servant whose punishment will be all the more heavy…
Let us then loan to the Lord the goods we have received from him. Indeed, we possess nothing that is not a gift from the Lord and we exist only because he wills it. What is there we could think of as our own since, by reason of an enormous and exceptional debt, we do not belong to ourselves? For God created us but he has also redeemed us. Let us be thankful, then: redeemed at great price, the price of the Lord’s blood, we are no longer worthless things…Let us return to the Lord what he has given us. Let us give to Him who receives in the person of every poor man. Let us give with joy that we may receive from him in gladness, as he has promised.
St. Therese of Lisieux
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The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, |
| Matthew | |||
| English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
| Matthew 25 |
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| 14. | For even as a man going into a far country, called his servants, and delivered to them his goods; | Sicut enim homo peregre proficiscens, vocavit servos suos, et tradidit illis bona sua. | ωσπερ γαρ ανθρωπος αποδημων εκαλεσεν τους ιδιους δουλους και παρεδωκεν αυτοις τα υπαρχοντα αυτου |
| 15. | And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to every one according to his proper ability: and immediately he took his journey. | Et uni dedit quinque talenta, alii autem duo, alii vero unum, unicuique secundum propriam virtutem : et profectus est statim. | και ω μεν εδωκεν πεντε ταλαντα ω δε δυο ω δε εν εκαστω κατα την ιδιαν δυναμιν και απεδημησεν ευθεως |
| 16. | And he that had received the five talents, went his way, and traded with the same, and gained other five. | Abiit autem qui quinque talenta acceperat, et operatus est in eis, et lucratus est alia quinque. | πορευθεις δε ο τα πεντε ταλαντα λαβων ειργασατο εν αυτοις και εποιησεν αλλα πεντε ταλαντα |
| 17. | And in like manner he that had received the two, gained other two. | Similiter et qui duo acceperat, lucratus est alia duo. | ωσαυτως και ο τα δυο εκερδησεν και αυτος αλλα δυο |
| 18. | But he that had received the one, going his way digged into the earth, and hid his lord's money. | Qui autem unum acceperat, abiens fodit in terram, et abscondit pecuniam domini sui. | ο δε το εν λαβων απελθων ωρυξεν εν τη γη και απεκρυψεν το αργυριον του κυριου αυτου |
| 19. | But after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reckoned with them. | Post multum vero temporis venit dominus servorum illorum, et posuit rationem cum eis. | μετα δε χρονον πολυν ερχεται ο κυριος των δουλων εκεινων και συναιρει μετ αυτων λογον |
| 20. | And he that had received the five talents coming, brought other five talents, saying: Lord, thou didst deliver to me five talents, behold I have gained other five over and above. | Et accedens qui quinque talenta acceperat, obtulit alia quinque talenta, dicens : Domine, quinque talenta tradidisti mihi, ecce alia quinque superlucratus sum. | και προσελθων ο τα πεντε ταλαντα λαβων προσηνεγκεν αλλα πεντε ταλαντα λεγων κυριε πεντε ταλαντα μοι παρεδωκας ιδε αλλα πεντε ταλαντα εκερδησα επ αυτοις |
| 21. | His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. | Ait illi dominus ejus : Euge serve bone, et fidelis : quia super pauca fuisti fidelis, super multa te constituam ; intra in gaudium domini tui. | εφη δε αυτω ο κυριος αυτου ευ δουλε αγαθε και πιστε επι ολιγα ης πιστος επι πολλων σε καταστησω εισελθε εις την χαραν του κυριου σου |
| 22. | And he also that had received the two talents came and said: Lord, thou deliveredst two talents to me: behold I have gained other two. | Accessit autem et qui duo talenta acceperat, et ait : Domine, duo talenta tradidisti mihi, ecce alia duo lucratus sum. | προσελθων δε και ο τα δυο ταλαντα λαβων ειπεν κυριε δυο ταλαντα μοι παρεδωκας ιδε αλλα δυο ταλαντα εκερδησα επ αυτοις |
| 23. | His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant: because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. | Ait illi dominus ejus : Euge serve bone, et fidelis : quia super pauca fuisti fidelis, super multa te constituam ; intra in gaudium domini tui. | εφη αυτω ο κυριος αυτου ευ δουλε αγαθε και πιστε επι ολιγα ης πιστος επι πολλων σε καταστησω εισελθε εις την χαραν του κυριου σου |
| 24. | But he that had received the one talent, came and said: Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where thou hast not strewed. | Accedens autem et qui unum talentum acceperat, ait : Domine, scio quia homo durus es ; metis ubi non seminasti, et congregas ubi non sparsisti : | προσελθων δε και ο το εν ταλαντον ειληφως ειπεν κυριε εγνων σε οτι σκληρος ει ανθρωπος θεριζων οπου ουκ εσπειρας και συναγων οθεν ου διεσκορπισας |
| 25. | And being afraid I went and hid thy talent in the earth: behold here thou hast that which is thine. | et timens abii, et abscondi talentum tuum in terra : ecce habes quod tuum est. | και φοβηθεις απελθων εκρυψα το ταλαντον σου εν τη γη ιδε εχεις το σον |
| 26. | And his lord answering, said to him: Wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sow not, and gather where I have not strewed: | Respondens autem dominus ejus, dixit ei : Serve male, et piger, sciebas quia meto ubi non semino, et congrego ubi non sparsi : | αποκριθεις δε ο κυριος αυτου ειπεν αυτω πονηρε δουλε και οκνηρε ηδεις οτι θεριζω οπου ουκ εσπειρα και συναγω οθεν ου διεσκορπισα |
| 27. | Thou oughtest therefore to have committed my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received my own with usury. | oportuit ergo te committere pecuniam meam numulariis, et veniens ego recepissem utique quod meum est cum usura. | εδει ουν σε βαλειν το αργυριον μου τοις τραπεζιταις και ελθων εγω εκομισαμην αν το εμον συν τοκω |
| 28. | Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that hath ten talents. | Tollite itaque ab eo talentum, et date ei qui habet decem talenta : | αρατε ουν απ αυτου το ταλαντον και δοτε τω εχοντι τα δεκα ταλαντα |
| 29. | For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound: but from him that hath not, that also which he seemeth to have shall be taken away. | omni enim habenti dabitur, et abundabit : ei autem qui non habet, et quod videtur habere, auferetur ab eo. | τω γαρ εχοντι παντι δοθησεται και περισσευθησεται απο δε του μη εχοντος και ο εχει αρθησεται απ αυτου |
| 30. | And the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. | Et inutilem servum ejicite in tenebras exteriores : illic erit fletus, et stridor dentium. | και τον αχρειον δουλον εκβαλετε εις το σκοτος το εξωτερον εκει εσται ο κλαυθμος και ο βρυγμος των οδοντων |
Saint Monica
Memorial
August 27th
Saint Monica
Andrea del Verrocchio
S. Spirito, Florence
"The child of those tears shall never perish."
Monica, a saint especially revered by mothers because of her tireless prayers for the conversion of her wayward son, Augustine, was born of Christian parents in Tagaste, North Africa in 333, and died in Ostia, near Rome, in 387. She was married young to a government official, Patricius, who was not a Christian, and had a bad temper, though she bore her burdens patiently, and their life together was relatively peaceful. Three children were born to, Augustine, Navigius, and a daughter, Perpetua.
Augustine, the eldest son, though brilliant, was, according to his own account, a lazy and dissolute youth whose bad behavior caused his mother much grief especially so after he went away to school at Madaura and to Carthage. Although Patricius became a Christian not long before he died, Augustine persisted in his pursuit of pleasure, and, as a nineteen-year-old student, joined the heretical Manichaean sect. When he began to spout heresies, Monica became alarmed, and intensified her efforts to bring him to Christ. In the Confessions, Augustine recounts Monica's dream which consoled and encouraged her:
"In her dream she saw herself standing on a sort of wooden rule, and saw a bright youth approaching her, joyous and smiling at her, while she was grieving and bowed down with sorrow. But when he inquired of her the cause of her sorrow and daily weeping (not to learn from her, but to teach her, as is customary in visions), and when she answered that it was my soul's doom she was lamenting, he bade her rest content and told her to look and see that where she was there I was also. And when she looked she saw me standing near her on the same rule." (Confessions, Book III, 9.14).
During this anguished period of prayer for her son, Monica consulted a bishop who had himself been a Manichaean before he became a Christian. He declined to intervene with Augustine, whom, the bishop correctly observed, was not open to hearing the truth. She persisted tearfully, but he refused to intervene. Nevertheless, the bishop consoled Monica that "the child of those tears shall never perish", which she took as a sign from God. Though he continued in his heresies for nine years, Monica followed Augustine to Rome and then to Milan.in an effort to rescue her son from his errors. In Milan she met Ambrose, who helped lead Augustine into the true faith.
A few months after his conversion, Augustine, Monica and Adeodatus, set out to return to Africa, but Monica died at Ostia, the ancient port city of Rome, and she was buried there. Augustine was so deeply moved by his mother's death that he was inspired to write his Confessions, "So be fulfilled what my mother desired of me--more richly in the prayers of so many gained for her through these confessions of mine than by my prayers alone" (Book IX.13.37)
An account of Monica's early life, her childhood, marriage, her final days and her death, is given in Confessions Book IX, 8-12. He expresses his gratitude for her life:
"I will not speak of her gifts, but of thy gift in her; for she neither made herself nor trained herself. Thou didst create her, and neither her father nor her mother knew what kind of being was to come forth from them. And it was the rod of thy Christ, the discipline of thy only Son, that trained her in thy fear, in the house of one of thy faithful ones who was a sound member of thy Church" (IX.8.7).
Centuries later, Monica's body was reburied in Rome, and eventually her relics were interred in a chapel left of the high altar of the Church of St. Augustine in Rome.
Collect:
O God, who console the sorrowful
and who mercifully accepted
the motherly tears of Saint Monica
for the conversion of her son Augustine,
grant us, through the intercession of them both,
that we may bitterly regret our sins
and find the grace of your pardon.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.First Reading: Ecclesiasticus 26:1-4,13-16
Happy is the husband of a good wife;
the number of his days will be doubled.
A loyal wife rejoices her husband,
and he will complete his years in peace.
A good wife is a great blessing;
she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord.
Whether rich or poor, his heart is glad,
and at all times his face is cheerful.A wife's charm delights her husband,
and her skill puts fat on his bones.
A silent wife is a gift of the Lord,
and there is nothing so precious as a disciplined soul.
A modest wife adds charm to charm,
and no balance can weigh the value of a chaste soul.
Like the sun rising in the heights of the Lord,
so is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home.Gospel Reading: Luke 7:11-17
Soon afterward [Jesus] went to a city called Nain, and His disciples and a great crowd went with Him. As He drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." And He came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited His people!" And this report concerning Him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Saint Monica
Benozzo Gozzoli (fresco - 1464-65)
Apsidal chapel, Sant'Agostino, San Gimignano
Prayer for Families - Pope John Paul II
The Tears of St. Monica: A Wellspring of Hope
First among North African Christians [St. Monica]
British prayer effort invokes St. Monica on behalf of inactive Catholics
Pope Benedict points to St. Monica as example of 'holy parent'
St. Monica — Offering Hope for Mothers
Pope: St Monica and St Augustine for youth who go down “wrong roads” and “dead ends”
Saint Monica, Widow 332-387[mother of Saint Augustine]
Saint of the Day: St.Monica
Saint Monica
St. Monica
Feast Day: August 27
Born: 322 at Tagaste (Souk Ahrus), Algeria
Died: 387 at Ostia, Italy
Major Shrine: Sant'Agostino, Rome
Patron of: patience, married women, homemakers and housewives, mothers, wives, widows, alcoholics, difficult marriages, disappointing children, victims of adultery or unfaithfulness, and victims of (verbal) abuse
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Saturday
August 27, 2016
The Meeting Place
“Christianity is the meeting-point of earth and heaven. It lays claim to the whole man, body and soul, intellect and will, inducing him to raise his mind above the changing conditions of this earthly existence and reach upwards for the eternal life of heaven, where one day he will find his unfailing happiness and peace.” — Saint Pope John Paul II
Year of Mercy Calendar for Today: “Bake a pie or some other dessert for an elderly neighbor.”
Saturday, August 27
Liturgical Color: White
Today is the Memorial of St.
Monica, patron saint of mothers. For
years, St. Monica prayed for the
conversion of her ill-tempered
husband and undisciplined son, St.
Augustine. She lived long enough to
see both convert, dying in 387 A.D.
August 27, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)
O God, who console the sorrowful and who mercifully accepted the motherly tears of Saint Monica for the conversion of her son Augustine, grant us, through the intercession of them both, that we may bitterly regret our sins and find the grace of your pardon. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Old Calendar: St. Joseph Calasanctius (Calasanz), confessor; Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Hist)
St. Monica (333-387) was born in Tagaste, northern Africa and died in Ostia, near Rome. Monica was a Christian, but her husband Patricius was a pagan and a man of loose morals. Monica's virtues and prayers, however, converted him, and he was baptized a year before his death. When her son, Augustine, joined the Manichean sect and went astray in faith and morals, Monica's tears and prayers for her son were incessant. She followed him to Milan, where Augustine went to teach, and there continued to storm heaven with her prayers for her son. Finally, she had the joy of witnessing St. Ambrose baptize Augustine in 387. She died in Ostia, as she and her son gazed at the sea and discoursed about the joys of the blessed.
According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Joseph Calasanz which is celebrated on August 26 in the Ordinary Form. St. Monica's feast is on May 4.
Historically today is the feast of the Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St. Monica
St. Monica is an example of those holy matrons of the ancient Church who proved very influential in their own quiet way. Through prayer and tears she gave the great Augustine to the Church of God, and thereby earned for herself a place of honor in the history of God's kingdom on earth.
The Confessions of St. Augustine provide certain biographical details. Born of Christian parents about the year 331 at Tagaste in Africa, Monica was reared under the strict supervision of an elderly nurse who had likewise reared her father. In the course of time she was given in marriage to a pagan named Patricius. Besides other faults, he possessed a very irascible nature; it was in this school of suffering that Monica learned patience. It was her custom to wait until his anger had cooled; only then did she give a kindly remonstrance. Evil-minded servants had prejudiced her mother-in-law against her, but Monica mastered the situation by kindness and sympathy.
Her marriage was blessed with three children: Navigius, Perpetua, who later became a nun, and Augustine, her problem child. According to the custom of the day, baptism was not administered to infants soon after birth. It was as an adolescent that Augustine became a catechumen, but possibly through a premonition of his future sinful life, Monica postponed his baptism even when her son desired it during a severe illness.
When Augustine was nineteen years old, his father Patricius died; by patience and prayer Monica had obtained the conversion of her husband.
The youthful Augustine caused his mother untold worry by indulging in every type of sin and dissipation. As a last resort after all her tears and entreaties had proved fruitless, she forbade him entrance to her home; but after a vision she received him back again. In her sorrow a certain bishop consoled her: "Don't worry, it is impossible that a son of so many tears should be lost."
When Augustine was planning his journey to Rome, Monica wished to accompany him. He outwitted her, however, and had already embarked when she arrived at the docks. Later she followed him to Milan, ever growing in her attachment to God. St. Ambrose held her in high esteem, and congratulated Augustine on having such a mother. At Milan she prepared the way for her son's conversion. Finally the moment came when her tears of sorrow changed to tears of joy. Augustine was baptized. And her lifework was completed. She died in her fifty-sixth year, as she was returning to Africa. The description of her death is one of the most beautiful passages in her son's famous Confessions.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Patron: Abuse victims; alcoholics; alcoholism; difficult marriages; disappointing children; homemakers; housewives; married women; mothers; victims of adultery; victims of unfaithfulness; victims of verbal abuse; widows; wives.
Symbols: Monstrance; IHC on a tablet; veil or handkerchief; open book; girdle; staff; tears.
The Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Also known as The Franciscan Crown Rosary)
The Franciscan Crown Rosary, properly known as "The Franciscan Crown of Our Lady's Joys" dates back to approximately the year 1422. According to tradition, as related by the famous Franciscan historian Father Luke Wadding, a very pious young man who had been admitted to the Franciscan Order in that year was saddened and had decided to return to the world and quit the cloister. Before his entry into the Order, it was his custom to adorn a statue of the Blessed Virgin with a wreath of fresh and beautiful flowers. Now, he was unable to continue his act of piety and devotion to the Blessed Virgin.
Our Lady appeared to him and prevented him from taking such a step as he had planned. "Do not be sad and cast down, my son," she said, "because you are no longer permitted to place wreaths of flowers on my statue. I shall teach you to change this pious practice into one that will be far more pleasing to me and more meritorious to your soul. In place of the flowers that soon wither and cannot always be found, you can weave for me a crown from the flowers of your prayers that will always remain fresh and can always be had." When Our Lady had disappeared, the overjoyed Novice at once began to recite the prayers in honor of her Seven Joys, as she had directed. While he was deeply engrossed in this devotion, the Novice Master happened to pass by and saw an angel weaving a marvelous wreath of roses. After every tenth rose, he inserted a golden lily. When the wreath was finished, the angel placed it on the head of the praying Novice. The Novice Master demanded the Novice tell him the meaning of this vision. The joyful Novice complied. The good priest was so impressed that he immediately made it known to his brethren. Thus, the practice of reciting the Franciscan Crown of Our Lady's Joys soon spread as a favorite devotion of the Friars.
The Joys of Mary remembered in the devotion are these:
Excerpted from The Franciscan Order of the Divine Compassion
Saint Monica (Memorial)
Come, share your master’s joy. (Matthew 25:21)
We may think of “talent” today as our abilities and gifts, but in Jesus’ time, a talent was the equivalent of about eighty pounds of silver. That translated to about twenty years’ wages. This means that the servant who received five talents was handed as much money as a laborer could earn in one hundred years!
It’s no wonder that at least one of the servants was intimidated. Maybe when you read this parable, you get nervous too. That was a big gift—and a big responsibility! Sure, a couple of the servants immediately invested what was given them and made lots of money. But maybe you’re not so bold. Will the master throw you out because you have buried what he gave you?
Don’t worry. God isn’t looking for risky big-time investments. All he’s looking for is a response. Like the master in today’s parable, our heavenly Father is generous. Every day he pours out the “currency” of his grace and life in us. He is so eager to see his investment grow that he multiplies even the smallest effort we make to respond to that grace. Remember how quickly the other two servants’ investments grew!
In practical terms, this can mean many things. Let’s say you’re impressed by one of the readings or the homily at Mass. Let it impact how you talk to your kids on the way home or how you interact with your spouse over dinner. In your prayer time today, you might be more deeply convinced of God’s love. Go out and show that love to someone else, maybe by putting aside your own priorities to give someone your undivided attention.
No matter how you do it, every time you respond to God’s touch, your investment doubles, and you receive more grace. It’s an ever-increasing cycle. As your investment grows, you experience more of the Father’s joy, and that joy makes you want to invest even more.
You won’t be the only one changing, by the way. You will influence other people. They will respond to God’s grace in you, and his kingdom will continue to grow!
That’s the kind of “return on investment” the Father loves to see.
“Father, I want to respond to your grace. You generously give to me; let me generously share with others so that it multiplies throughout the world.”
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Psalm 33:12-13, 18-21
Daily Marriage Tip for August 27, 2016:
St. Monica never ceased praying for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine. May all mothers mirror St. Monica and continue to courageously pray for their children, no matter what.
Memorial of Saint Monica
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man who was 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.'”
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to you again in prayer. Even though I cannot see you, I know through faith that you are present in my life. I hope in your promise to be with me. I love you, and I know you love me. Accept this prayer as a token of my love.
Petition: Teach me, Lord, to take all that you have given me and make it produce fruit for your kingdom.
1. God’s Gifts: The Gospel tells us clearly that God distributes his gifts among us as he wills, and he entrusts each one of us with a mission. He gives us what we need to produce fruits for his kingdom, and he expects us to use those gifts responsibly and diligently. No two people are exactly alike, and God treats each one individually as a unique person made in his image. We need to live before God and respond to him sincerely by using to the maximum the talents he has given us. Are we making the best use of all that God has given us, or have we neglected some things and taken others for granted? Might we be committing a sin of omission with regards to some of our talents?
2. Life as a Mission: The servants who invest the talents and make a return on them have understood the purpose of their lives and the time they have at their disposal. These servants were generous with everything their master had given them, making it bear fruit, and they received from him the reward of greater intimacy and more responsibility. Each of us is also given a limited amount of time in life to use our various gifts to give glory to God and help save other souls. We too should work every day to hear those words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
3. The Useless Servant: How often we are paralyzed by fear or false prudence into doing nothing, into trying just to preserve ourselves! Sometimes we don’t take God’s gifts seriously or think we have been given very little, and we use that as a rationalization for making no effort or for producing little for God. We blame circumstances or others; but the fact is we are neglecting to produce the fruits God wants. The master didn’t expect a return of five talents from the servant to whom he gave only one. He would have been happy with a return of one more, but the lazy servant closed in on his egoism, self-love and laziness. We must resolve to use our God-given talents wisely so as to net him a big return.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, give me the grace and love to work for your kingdom with all the talents that you have given me. Let me return them all to you with real fruits for your kingdom.
Resolution: I will make a plan for evangelizing other souls and look for fruits of holiness in others.
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