Don’t Bury Your Talents; Use Them!
2023년 11월 19일Don’t Bury Your Talents; Use Them!
< Thirty–Third Sunday in Ordinary Time >
There once was a man so terrified of losing his sight and being blind that he refused to open his eyes at all. He lived his entire life in darkness because he feared living his life in darkness! This, of course, is not a true story but is meant to show how foolish some people can be. Even us sometimes. Fear of failure can be as much of a handicap as blindness. Fear of failure can paralyze us into inaction. No one likes to fail, but here’s a funny thing: success doesn’t teach us anything. We only learn when he have the courage to try and fail. Today’s gospel parable describes a rich man who distributed his wealth to his servants according to their abilities. The servant who received the most (ten talents) invested it wisely and made another ten, as the one with five made another five. Neither let the fear of failure prevent them from taking a risk. And the master rewarded them upon his return. But the servant who only got one talent feared failure and feared losing so he buried his one talent and received his master’s anger.
God has given each one of us so many talents and abilities. How are we using (or investing) them? I am both inspired and humbled when I see someone with physical disabilities accomplishing so much more than I do. How can we live fuller, more rewarding and more productive lives? By taking chances! The greater tragedy is not that we tried something and failed, but rather that we failed to do anything at all. May God give us the grace to realize our fullest potential by giving us the courage and strength to take a chance on love and life.