Read Online
“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.’” Luke 19:12–14
There are three categories of people in this parable. The first
includes those who received a gold coin and followed the master’s
request to “engage in trade” until he returned. The second has
those who received the same command but were lazy and failed to
produce any good fruit from that which our Lord has given them. And
the third includes those who “despise” our Lord and do not want Him
as their King.
Upon the king's return, this first category of people are
represented by the two servants who took the gold coins, engaged in
trade, and made five and ten more. These are those who have much
apostolic zeal. God not only calls us to use the gifts we have
received to expand His Kingdom on earth, He also expects it of us.
His expectation is a command of love. For those who understand this
command, they see it as a glorious invitation to make an eternal
difference in the lives of many. They do not see the apostolic
works to which they are called as a burden. Rather, they see them
as a joy, and that joy fuels their efforts. The result will have
exponential effects for God’s Kingdom.
The second category of people is illustrated by the one servant who
kept the one gold coin “stored away in a handkerchief” out of fear.
These are the people who avoid evangelizing and furthering the
Kingdom of God out of fear. Fear is paralyzing. But giving in to
fear is a sin. It’s a lack of faith and trust in God. Serving God
will inevitably require courage on our part. It will demand that we
step out of our comfort zone and do that which we may not
immediately feel comfortable doing. But as that servant in the
parable foretold, God is a demanding God. And He will not accept
fear as an acceptable excuse not to zealously help to build the
Kingdom of God.
The third category of people is the category in which you
definitely do not want to fall. These are those who actively work
to undermine God’s Kingship and reject Him as God. The world is
filled with these people. The only thing we need to say about those
who fall into this category is that which our Lord said of them.
“Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their
king, bring them here and slay them before me.”
Reflect, today, upon which category of people your life most fully
resembles. Most likely it is one of the first two. Do you have
great zeal for God’s Kingdom? Are you willing to do all that you
can to help build His Kingdom? Are you willing to do so even at the
cost of great personal sacrifice? If so, then rejoice and know that
an abundant reward awaits. But if you are one who struggles with
fear, specifically, if you struggle with a fear to evangelize, to
share the Gospel and to live your faith openly with humility and
love, then spend more time with this parable and the fate of that
one servant who hid the coin in the handkerchief. Engage in the
apostolate. Commit yourself to the furtherance of God’s Kingdom.
Dispel all fear and know that you will never regret putting your
whole heart and soul into the service of God and the building of
His Kingdom.
My demanding Lord, You have entrusted me with much, and You
demand that I use all that You have given me to help build Your
Kingdom of grace. What a privilege it is to be called by You and
used by You for this apostolic mission. Please free me from all
fear, dear Lord, so that I will never hesitate to serve You in the
ways that You call me to serve. Jesus, I trust in You.
Source of content:
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Copyright 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission via RSS feed.
Featured image above: Painting by Willem de Poorter
entitled The Parable of The Talents or Minas, via Wikimedia
Commons
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.