33rd Sunday of O.T. (A).
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS. Be fruitful and responsible.

OUTLINE

1. Like a thief in the night Our Lord shall return.
2. The Parable of talents: Be fruitful and responsible. 

1. Like a thief in the night Our Lord shall return.

God gave to each and every one talents, qualities, gifts to serve Him and our neighbor.  Of the use we make of these gifts, Our Lord will ask us to render account when He returns again in an unexpected manner, “like a thief in the night”; hence, the need to be vigilant always. (2^nd reading: 1 Thes 5:1–6)

“But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.”

Though it seems to us that what we received is little, we still have the obligation put into play what we have received and what we are.

• We have to overcome laziness so as not to be carried away by it leading us to bury the talent underground and render it sterile (Gospel, Mt 25:14–30). For God will give to each one what is due according to his works.

“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.’”

2. The Parable of talents: Be fruitful and responsible.

All the gifts of nature and grace which God has given us should yield a profit. It does not matter how many gifts we have received; what matters is our generosity in putting them to good use.

The parable of talents is a renewed call to be faithful and diligent in the little things out of love for God in order to serve Him and others with the gifts He bestowed us. Such diligence is rewarded by God.

“‘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.’”

In the same way as  the industrious woman of the 1st reading (Prv 31:10–13, 19–20, 30–31) who put her effort and work at the service of her family and the needy, and those men who strove to make their talents fructify, Our Lord expects from each one of us the same responsible attitude in our life.

“Don’t lose your effectiveness; instead, trample on your selfishness. You think your life is for yourself? Your life is for God, for the good of all men, through your love for our Lord. Your buried talent, dig it up again! Make it yield” (St. Josemaria, Friends of God, 47).

Let us pray to the Lord that we may serve Him and others with love and obtain the eternal joys.  Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. Opening prayer, Mass proper.