“After a long time the master of those servants came back”
We have a lease arrangement. However, we do not know how long this lease will last. In the second reading, Paul talks about not knowing when our time will come, that it will come, “like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1-6) without warning. In the spiritual reading, Saint Augustine also speaks of the shortness of life. “My brethren, the appointed time is short... and those who deal with this world as though they had no dealing with it. For the form of this world is passing away.”
Scripture tells us that we must use our time well, because life is short. “The breath in our nostrils is smoke... Our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud and be scattered like mist that is chased by the rays of the sun and overcome by its heat.” (Wisdom 2:2-4) “Man is like a breath, his days are like passing shadow,” (Psalm 143:4) “He comes forth like a flower, and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.” (Job 14:2)
Was Jesus talking about material wealth in the Gospel reading? No, the parable was about the qualities that God gives us; our intelligence, our ability to love, our power to make others happy, temporal goods, and how we use these things while we have the time to develop and share these talents. It is good to point out that with the money, talents, and qualities God gives to us, it is not good to just store them up for the future. What good is it to have lots of money, then die the next day and not use the wealth for good? The same can be said of our God given talents; we should use them to help spread the kingdom, rather than keep them hidden or worse, never use them like the third servant.
We must look at our life as stewards, who have been entrusted with a certain amount of talents. Jesus tells us over and over that all we have is not our own, but has been given by God. We have been entrusted with God’s talents and property, and one day, God will take into account how we used them.
What does it mean that God has entrusted us with talents? To entrust is to give someone a special responsibility or duty and to trust them in accomplishing what is given. When we say that God entrusted us with talents, we are saying that God trusts us, and expects us to do what He is calling us to do and to use what it is that He is giving us. When parents entrust their children to a babysitter they are giving the babysitter a duty and responsibility and trusting that sitter with their children’s lives.
On of the components of a Sacrament is that the Sacraments are entrusted to the Church by Jesus. A Sacrament is an outward physically sign of an inner spiritual grace, all the Sacraments were instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the Church. What does it mean that the Sacraments were entrusted to the Church? How can we safeguard, protect and cherish the Sacraments?
We are also entrusted with many graces; the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us at Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation. We are given the gifts of Fortitude that strengthens us to do the will of God in all things despite fear and obstacles. Wisdom, which gives us a longing and love for the things of God and directs our whole life and all our actions to His honor and Glory; Understanding enables us to know more clearly the mystery of faith. Knowledge, which enables us to discover the will of God in all things (what should I do?); Piety, which makes us love God as a Father and obey Him because we love Him. This helps us to have reverence and to pray well (As we pray, we believe); Fear of the Lord which fills us with a dread of sin, and a dread of offending, hurting God and others through our sin; Counsel which warns us of the deceits of the devil and of the dangers to our salvation.
Activity - Gifts of the Holy Spirit Survey
What are we to do with the time we have? Since we have little time here on this planet, we must make the most of each and every day. The parable helps show us how we are judged based on what we do with our time. This is exactly what the Church teaches about faith and works. We are judged by our love and thanksgiving for the time we have, and we show our appreciation by the actions we take for the Kingdom of God. As James says, “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works is dead.” (James 2:17) He goes on to ask to see someone who just has faith, and he would show you the people who have been welcomed into heaven for their faith and works. The Gospel reading shows two servants, who had faith in the master and worked to invest his money, while the third lacked faith and did nothing.
Time is one of the greatest gifts that we have been given and our own time “our life” has been entrusted to us. “When a Christian kills time on this earth, he is putting himself in danger of ‘killing Heaven’ for himself; that is, if through selfishness, he backs out of things and hides away and doesn’t care.” [1]
What about the future? Since our time here is so short and precious, we can fall into the temptation to try and hold fast to the future. The problem is, holding onto future time is like trying to peer through darkness. We have no clue what the future holds. We should try and put our focus on the present and what we can control. “The same counsel applies to our approach to present-day difficulties. They should not rob us of our peace.” [2]
The spiritual reading also deals with not having anxieties because we already know our fate; we will see Jesus again, whether at His second coming, or when we die. “But I wish you to be without anxiety. He who is without anxiety waits without fear until his Lord comes. He will come whether we wish it or not. Do not think that because he is not coming just now, he will not come at all. He will come, you know not when; and provided he finds you prepared, your ignorance of the time of his coming will not be held against you.”
What would we do if we were told when we were to die? Both Saint Aloysius and Blessed Seelos knew they were going to die young. Saint Aloysius, who was only in his early twenties when he died and Blessed Seelos knew they would die soon, but did not stop living, rather they lived even more to the full. “In 1590, Saint Aloysius, suffering from his kidney problems and other ailments, received a vision of the Archangel Gabriel, who told him that he would die within a year. When a plague broke out in Rome in 1591, Saint Aloysius volunteered to work with plague victims, and he contracted the disease in March.” [3] Blessed Seelos, an American Saint, who was a missionary from Germany, did not see a vision but knew that he would die; yet this knowledge of death did not keep him from serving the Lord or loosing hope. “On September 27, 1866, he [Blessed Seelos] began his last journey for the Lord, to New Orleans, Louisiana. As he was traveling on the train to New Orleans, a nun asked him how long he would be stationed in New Orleans. His reply was “I will be there for one year, and then I will die of the Yellow Fever”, which is exactly what happened.” [4]
There is a saying, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present”. We may not know when the end of our life will be, but “Let us make use of the time we have to make ready. How happy He will be to find us alert and on the watch! My Lord, we will tell him, I have lived my life for your glory and nothing else.” [5]
How do we use our time? Are we punctual and orderly in our work? When we are at home, do we give our full attention to family matters? Are we striving to extend the Kingdom of Christ to all souls?
[1] J. Escriva, Friends of God, 46
[2] In Conversation with God 5, 82.3
[3] http://catholicism.about.com/od/thesaints/p/Saint_Aloysius.htm
[4] http://www.bobandpennylord.com/bl-francis-xavier-seelos.htm
[5] In Conversation with God 5, 82.1