LIVING UP TO YOUR POTENTIAL
I remember receiving one report card in high school, after which my dad sat me down. It was clear he was not happy with my grades. There were a number of teachers who said that I was not as well-behaved as I should have been. So I thought I was going to get a lecture on respect and “being a good boy.” But I was wrong! He was not happy about my bad behavior but he was even more unhappy about what one of the teachers had written — that I was not living up to my potential with regard to the quality of work I was submitting. It was this that gained my father’s ire.
Jesus addresses a similar thing in today’s parable. God has blessed us with talents and gifts and we should put them to good use. Admittedly, we cannot use all our gifts at the same time, so we have to be sensible when we assess ourselves in this regard. However, this is not an excuse to sit back and be lazy about using our gifts. They were given to us for a particular purpose; it is our responsibility to discover that purpose and put it into action.
The dynamic of blessings building upon blessings is biblical. The more God sees us using our gifts well, the more He will add to them. If we do not use them well, then there is little probability that we will be blessed with more; in fact, it is more than likely that what we have will be taken away and given to someone who will put them to good use. To him who has much (and is using them well), more will be given, and to him who has little (and is not using them at all), even what he has will be taken away. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you using all the gifts that God has given you?
Holy Spirit, help me to use all the gifts and blessings that God has given me. Teach me to be grateful for them through the full and proper use of every gift He has given me.
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