33A SUNDAY HOMILY, THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS, MATTHEW 25:14-30 Nov.19, 2023
1. STORY
There was a group of tourists admiring a beautiful newly constructed
church. Suddenly a boy named John came
up to them and told them that he had a part in the construction of the church. Naturally they were surprised to hear this
from such a young person. They asked
John what he did. He answered that each
day he brought lunch to his father who was a construction worker. John told the truth. He wisely used his talent, a gift from God, by
being able to carry his father’s lunch to help build the church.
2. GOSPEL. MATTHEW 25:14-30
A. ALL HAVE TALENTS
The master gave talents to his three servants. “He gave to one, five talents; to another, two talents; and to a third, one talent… to each according to his ability.”
B. THE USE OF THE TALENTS
Two of the servants used their talents wisely and were rewarded by the
master. One of the servants who did not
use his talents wisely was punished for being lazy.
3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
A. FIVE TALENTS GOD HAS GIVEN US
God has blessed us with many talents. He has given us the ability to talk, to see, to hear, to think, to walk and many more talents.
B. HOW TO WISELY USE OUR TALENTS
i) We use wisely our talent to talk by speaking to God and praising and
thanking him for his many daily blessings. We speak with kindness, respect, and patience
towards others.
ii) We wisely use our ability to see by reading the bible, the Catholic
newspaper, and good books. We avoid
seeing movies, reading books, or using the computer to watch programs that may
cause us to sin.
iii) We wisely use our ability to hear by hearing the word of God,
listening to good speakers, and by patiently listening to those who are
unhappy.
iv) We wisely use our ability to think when we figure our ways to help
people, how better to preach the gospel, and how to make our home, our parish,
and our society happier places to live in.
v) We wisely use our ability to walk by going to Mass faithfully on
Sunday, by going to those in need, and by staying away from places or persons
who might cause us to sin. These are a
few ways to wisely use some of the talents God has given us.
4. CONCLUSION
Young John wisely used the gift of being able to walk by bringing daily
lunch to his father who was helping to build the new church. The master gave his three servants talents
according to their ability. Two used
them wisely while the third one did not. The two were rewarded for their diligence but
the third lazy one was punished. God has
given us many talents which we must use wisely. God will reward or punish us according to how
we use them. We thank God for showering
us with many talents and gifts. We pray
for the strength, wisdom, and perseverance to use them to honor, glorify and
thank God, to help the needy, and to save our souls.
