Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Unhidden Talents

What are five things you do very well? And how do you use these things you do well, your talents, in service to God and for the common good? The parable of the talents suggests that we are to make more of a good thing for the sake of others.

Are we willing to take risks to grow our talents? What kind of risks are we willing to take to ensure our growth and the thriving of our community, our church, our country, our world, and our earth? How are we “children of the light” in the midst of darkness?

Perhaps the “burying of talents” or our hiding of talents today comes from a kind of false humility or lack of belief that we have talents to offer. Often those talents are coaxed out of us by others who name them for us. An example of this is the naming of the characteristics of the Proverbs woman. “She reaches out her hands to the poor and extends her arms to the needy.”

Some of the talents needed today are talents for healing, for bringing about unity, for creativity and adaptability in dire circumstances, for accompanying the grieving or those filled with fear, for working to become anti-racist, for leading in climate change, for naming injustice and having the courage to lead for change. Who among us has those talents? Do we seek to learn from them? How do we grow our capacity to grow our talents?

Pope Francis urges us to reflect on our talents:

Have you thought about the talents that God has given you?  Have you thought of how you can put them at the service of others? Do not bury your talents! Set your stakes on great ideals, the ideals that enlarge the heart, the ideals of service that make your talents fruitful. Life is not given to us to be jealously guarded for ourselves, but is given to us so that we may give it in turn….Do not be afraid to dream great things!

    -Pope Francis, General Audience, St. Peter’s Square, April 24, 2013

We pray that each and every one of us does our part to bring healing, to recognize the beauty of all of God’s creation, and to share in God’s great joy!