Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:14-30
Today’s Gospel, with the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), challenges us and brings up an important question: How can I be the gift or share the talents I have been given? Contemplative scholar and author Dr. Cassidy Hall says it poetically: “Everyone carries their own true self in their own way, in their own words, and in their own time.
It would seem from this perspective, one can be expected to be open to ongoing learning and discovery throughout their lifetime. Maybe there is no limit to the new gifts that can be discovered if one openly listens and hears. We all know this truth as we read about the extraordinary lives of people who famously discovered and shared their late-found gifts.
Not only can new gifts be found as opportunities, circumstances, and relationships change, but some of our "main" gifts can be "fleeting" or even grow stronger. Most importantly, I feel, is the direction given in the Gospel Acclamation (John 15:4): “Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord. Whoever remains in me bears much fruit.”
As I spend time in Eucharistic adoration, I am consoled by John 15:4. During that time, I ask the Lord how I am doing with using the talents I have received. In that time, I feel connected and affirmed, even as my thoughts may wander or my eyelids close. I trust that regardless of “my state of being,” I am accepted and loved and challenged to remain in the Lord Who knows my heart like no other.
Sister Frances Smalkowski, CSFN
