Gospel: Luke 19:11-28
While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a
parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would
appear there immediately. So he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country
to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his
servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with
these until I return.’His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a
delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ But
when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to
whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The
first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional
ones.’ He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this
very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came and
reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ And to this servant too
he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’ Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I
kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are
a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you
did not plant.’ He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you
wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay
down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a
bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ And to those
standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant
who has ten. But they said to him,
‘Sir, he has ten gold coins. He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who
has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be
taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king,
bring them here and slay them before me.’”
After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
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Reflection:
A
successful businessman suddenly died, when his soul was about to separate from
his body he saw an angel and a devil. He naturally veered away from the devil
and he put himself at the side of the angel. When they were about to enter the
heavenly gates God was there to ask him this question: What can you say about
your life on earth? The man said, I was a successful business man when I was
still alive and I did no wrong to anyone.
Then God
said that’s very good! But have you done something for my kingdom? The man was
not able to answer for he did nothing to help grow the kingdom of God. Then God
commanded the angel to bring him to the other side of the fence where the environment
was very hot and humid for he did nothing to advance the kingdom of God.
What is
your present preoccupation right now? Are you very busy with the things of this
world? Like how to expand your business and how to grow bigger your money and
so forth. Many of us are perhaps like this: very earthly and always very busy
with earthly things. But if we are all busy with the affairs of this world
where would we end-up after our journey in this world is already over and done with?
Where would we end-up if we do nothing for the kingdom of God in this world?
In our
gospel for this Wednesday a nobleman gave his servants gold coins so that they
could do something to make it grow. Some of them were able to increase its
value yet there was one who simply kept
in a handkerchief what was entrusted to him. He did nothing to grow the money
entrusted to him by his master.
In our
faith life doing nothing is never an option or faith in Jesus that is kept to
oneself is never an alternative. We must share this faith that Jesus has
entrusted to us in whatever manner possible so that it could grow also.
Are we
productive servants of Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
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