MASS READING & MEDITATION FOR AUGUST 31, 2013 21ST Week in Ordinary Time WORD AMONG US Gospel MT 25:14-30 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. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘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.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘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.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ 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.’” MEDITATION: 21st Week in Ordinary Time “Come, share your master’s joy. (Matthew 25:21)” During the last fourteen years of his life, James Hampton worked by day as a janitor in Washington, D.C. But every night, he worked on a sculpture. Made of aluminum and gold foil, cardboard, bottles, and whatever else he could find, it was his representation of God’s throne. Called the Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly, the sculpture was intended to be a place where Christ could be enthroned as people worshipped him. After Hampton’s death, the sculpture was donated to the Smithsonian Institution and is now on display in the Museum of American Art. You might say that Hampton understood the parable of the talents well. This story isn’t about who has the most talents or the most celebrated talents. It’s about making the most use of them simply to praise and glorify the Lord. Hampton never thought about who would see his sculpture, or whether he would even finish it. He just kept working on it, out of his love for God and his desire to praise him. Hampton’s example can teach us that we don’t need to worry about whether we have one or one hundred “talents.” All we have to do is take whatever we have and dedicate it to the Lord. Even if we think all we have are scraps of tin foil and discarded boxes—even that can be turned into something stunningly beautiful for the Lord. When it came to the fruitful servants in the parable, the master not only promised to give them greater responsibilities; he also gave them this invitation: “Come, share your master’s joy” (Matthew 25:21). But those words may not have been necessary. As James Hampton showed, simply giving back to the Lord with a generous heart produces its own kind of joy and fulfillment. How else could this humble janitor have devoted so much time to producing something so marvelous? In a similar way, God wants us to know that anyone who seeks to serve him will find a joy and fulfillment that nothing else can bring. So what work of art are you producing? “Lord, help me to find joy in the gifts you have given me. Teach me how to use these gifts in a way that brings you and me—and everyone around me—great joy.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; Psalm 98:1, 7-9
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 15:23:57 +0000