They form the common theme of the readings today – that we learn virtue from our families, and that we carry out the practice of that virtue throughout our life – if we have practiced virtue well – that is according to the gifts that God has given us then we need not be worried about what will happen when the end of our life comes.
The start of Christian Life
Family – the cradle of Formation
God created each and every one of us to be born into a family where we can learn the unconditional love of God. The first reading is a beautiful scripture from proverbs that extols the virtues of a good woman.
The worthy wife from proverbs is the model of Christian Charity for all of us today. The worthy wife is also the image of the Church – and in that sense she applies to all of us gathered here today.
She teaches us three important aspects to living out our virtues
- She is more valuable than pearls – she has captured the heart of God by her actions.
- She works to provide for her family – and she shares her riches with those in need.
- Her praises will be sung at the city gates!
The first thing that we learn from the worthy wife is that she has captured the heart of her husband – he trusts her with his most precious possession – his heart.
We start knowing that we are loved by God
If we as Christians are going to listen to the readings today then this is the starting point – the knowledge that we have captured God’s heart by our very being – that God created us out of Love – what a gift. How will we respond to that great love?
Be Industrious so that you can share God’s love
The second thing to learn is that the good disciple is industrious. She works to find the things that her children need and then turns them into gifts for the poor and those in need. Her heart is open to transmit the love that God is giving her to those who are in need of God’s love.
Her praises will be sung at the city gates
This is the end to which our lives are directed – eternity. When we die we will be at the pearly gates, where we will be judged for how we used the gifts that we were given throughout the course of our lives. In that sense God wants to praise us for the good that we do with our lives.
The Corporal Works of Mercy
The Church has often given us the Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy and encourages us to practice these as a way of growing in our love for God. The family is the place where we learn to live out these works. Let’s review them briefly together
The Corporal Works of Mercy
- Feed the hungry / Give drink to the Thirsty
- Clothe the naked
- Shelter the homeless
- Visit the sick / imprisoned
- Bury the dead?
The Spiritual Works of Mercy
- Admonish the sinner
- Instruct the ignorant / Counsel the doubtful
- Comfort the sorrowful
- Bear wrongs patiently / Forgive all injuries
- Pray for the living and the dead
Moving out into the world
When we grow up we take this lesson of love that we have learned in our childhood and go and apply it in the world. That takes us to the Gospel today where a Business Man is going away on a trip and needs to entrust his business to his employees, so he calls them together and entrusts his work to them
When we grow up and move out into the world we carry with us the responsibility of using the talents that we learned in our youth to build up the world.
5/2/1 Talents – The Business
The owner took his talents and split them up three ways – to one he gave 5, another 2, and the last 1 talent. He gave them a mission, and he sent them out to do his work.
The industrious servants traded their talents, and earned more – they took the spiritual and corporal works of Mercy that they learned in their child hood and traded them – and came away enriched.
The problem with the servant who received one talent is not that he only received one talent but that his response to God was one of fear and despair. He could not see that God loved him and had given him a precious talent that he could trade and share, and so he buried his gift, and was afraid of God – He rejected the gift of love that God had given him.
At the end of the Journey (The end of the World) the Master Returns and wants to see how His servants did with the talents that he gave them – when he sees the good work that they have done – he rejoices with them and celebrates with them.
When will the master return? When will our journey end? No one knows the time or the hour, we only know that it will be sudden and unexpected. That is the point of the second reading – you know it will happen so live your life accordingly.
The Talent Challenge!
Let’s not get stuck in his trap – rather it is time to put the talents that Christ gave us to work.
There is reward in virtue – do we see it? Are we putting the gifts that God has given us to work? What about this week.
Exercise – Pick your 5/2/1 Talents to employ this week.
Review the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and select one, two or five to practice this week. Think now about who needs to experience this talent that God has given you. Make it a point to share your talent with them this week.
Review the works of Mercy again – from the perspective of living out these works in the world.
The Corporal Works of Mercy
- Feed the hungry / Give drink to the Thirsty
- Clothe the naked
- Shelter the homeless
- Visit the sick / imprisoned
- Bury the dead?
The Spiritual Works of Mercy
- Admonish the sinner
- Instruct the ignorant / Counsel the doubtful
- Comfort the sorrowful
- Bear wrongs patiently / Forgive all injuries
- Pray for the living and the dead
The reward is coming soon – if you can accept the challenge.
When you have selected your talents – live them out this week and in that way you will come prepared to celebrate God’s gifts with us next Sunday when you return from your work. I guarantee that the readings will have a greater impact on you if you do.
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