Saturday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
BY: JENNIFER BURGIN
Jesus told his disciples this parable:“A man 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...."
In my high school Physics class, a major part of our grade included completing an egg drop assignment. The premise involved designing a protective barrier between an egg and the ground so when dropped from a two story roof the egg remained intact. We were given a few weeks to create a suitable design fulfilling dimension and size requirements. A prize went to the successful student who's egg didn't break. I remember driving over to Michaels craft store to look for materials. I decided on a fairly simple design: Wrap the egg inside a round Styrofoam container used for fake flowers. The day of the egg drop I was terribly nervous. It was my senior year and my top-ten GPA meant everything. I simply could not afford a bad grade in Physics because of a broken egg.
What a cold February morning when our Physics class walked up to the school's roof to start the egg drop challenge. I remember seeing splat after splat. Everybody's egg broke. When it came my turn, I carefully dropped my Styrofoam ball from the roof. After the egg fell we inspected it to find not one crack! In fact, my egg was the only one in the class that didn't break. I won a movie gift certificate as the prize. Everybody was surprised, including the teacher, that a simple Styrofoam ball was insulating enough to protect the egg.
Just think: Simply trusting in Jesus and following his Way, Truth and Life protects our souls from breakage. The Lord acts as a protective shell around our fragile and vulnerable hearts. We can entrust our darkest secrets, intimate desires, and worries with Him. He will not allow us to completely crack and fall apart. In fact, God blesses us with gifts each and every day. It's up to us to use them wisely.
Five, Two, One....According to Ability Instead of three, two, one like a typical countdown it's five, two, one; the number of talents the Master gives to his servants. I find it interesting the wicked servant is only given the one talent according to his ability. The Master must have not expected a whole lot from him to begin with. Why does the master get so upset then? Why bother giving the third servant any talents?
The Master of the talents desires to entrust his possessions with all of his servants equally and according to their individual abilities. He hoped his servants would listen to his request, protecting and properly investing the talents. However, the wicked servant allowed fear to take over. Burying his one solid gift is like burying his head in the sand. He doesn't have to think about it or realize it's value. He can simply walk away - out of sight and out of mind. It's not his money anyway. Why take the risk of possibly upsetting the demanding Master if he loses the one talent? It's easier just to bury it away than to trade it up for something more profitable.
God does not want us to bury our gifts in the sand! He wants us to use them to the fullest, evangelizing and spreading the good news . Desire to share in His eternal joy!
Share Your Master's Joy We may not realize this, but God gives us gifts on a daily basis. They may appear small and insubstantial; however, all we need to do is take the time to notice and cherish them. For me, a smile is one such beautiful gift. I think of the smile of a child playing with a toy, the smile of someone laughing, or the smile when a friend greets another friend. When I'm having a rough day, a smile brings warmth back into my heart. When I'm feeling down, a smile brings happiness back to mind. Some people are blessed with a positive attitude and a habitual smile that's infectious! It's almost as if God sends such persons to continuously spread joy to others. Joy is what makes life worth living. Sharing our joy keeps fear at bay and helps us recognize our gifts and talents, using them for the benefit of all of God's Kingdom.
‘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.’
This meditation was written by Jennifer Burgin. Please visit her blog: Jennifer's Spectrum of Spirituality
I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
This meditation was written by Jennifer Burgin. Please visit her blog: Jennifer's Spectrum of Spirituality
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