WELL DONE: HOW SWEET THE SOUND
(Matthew 25:14-30)
While growing up as a child in
those days, my father, a teacher, will never make any journey without giving us
an assignment or duty that will preoccupy us till his return. Together with mum
whatever task given to us (be it academic or domestic, be it writing or peeling
cassava, sweeping or washing, or frying 'garri') was properly supervised for
either reward or punishment. It was indeed a thing of joy to hear: "Well
done!" from the no- nonsense man or "I gbaliala!"
A good result or an improvement
in result attracted high rewards. Sunday lunch, sometimes rice, was never eaten
until we answered what we understood from the reflections and readings of the
Mass. When one answers well or does anything so well, dad will always give him
a golden handshake with the invitation: "Kwerem na aka" We longed to
hear that. It was an encouragement. It was a challenge and motivation at the
same time. But failures attracted punishment and even the risk of losing
certain benefits like Christmas clothes. Worse still, the cloth or toy bought
for you may be given to another.
The above can help us to
understand the importance of doing well and not toiling with the opportunities
and talents given to us by God. Jesus wants us to be dutiful, devoted and
industrious in every good course. Thus, He gives the talents wishing that they
are not made latent.
In the Gospel today, the master
of the servants, as he was about to embark on the journey, gave them talents.
To the first He gave Five, to the second he gave two and lastly to the third he
gave one. The one that received five
traded with it and made extra five, the second did same and made extra two. But
the one that received one dug a pit and hid his master's money.
The master was very happy with
the two servants that made good returns. He was happy with them for a job well
done. He expressed his satisfaction to them respectively in the following
words: "Well done and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a
little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master"
Interesting right? O yes!
The one who received one talent
became "Ogbenye na amusu"(ungrateful wretch) after calling his master
names, returned his one talent saying: "Now you have what is yours".
At the end of the day the one
talent he had was taken away from him and given to the one who made more five
and the master punished this servant severely calling him:
"Worthless"
Are you in the category of
"Well done" Christians or "Worthless" ones?
LESSONS:
CHUKWU MAZURU: THE LORD KNOWS
YOU
Dear friends in Christ, the Lord
is not unaware of who you are. He's not unaware of what you can do and what you
can't do. He knows your present situation. He knows the problem you're facing
at the moment. He knows what you can achieve. He knows your distractions. He
knows when you're making sincere effort no matter how little your output may
seem to be. God knows how weak you are. He knows your limitations, abilities
and capabilities. God knows your shortcomings too.
He sees all these. But notwithstanding
these, He trusts you so much. Because He believes in you, He entrusts priceless
talents to you trusting that you will deliver.
CHINEYE: THE LORD GIVES YOU
YOURS
The Lord gives each and everyone
of us what will be okay for us. He gives each community, state or nation what
they will use to do well. To some individuals He has given mechanical skills,
others academic endowments, social skills, entertainment skills, organizational
powers, physical elegance etc.
To different countries God gave
human and natural, mineral resources. Are we doing well with them? Are we putting them to good use? If God
returns to Nigeria, will he tell our politicians well done? Will he tell us
individually and collectively, well done for using our various talent to edify
our society and live as people accountable to Him?
Discover your gift and serve God
with it. Let the introspection start now!
NKEMJIKA: CONTENTMENT
Don't eye another person's gift.
Don't be envious of it. Thank God for the effort the other person is making to
develop his talent and work also on yours. Contentment is a keyword here. Be
contented with who you're and what God has given you. David had to remove the
military apparel given to him and worked with the Spirit, the gift of God to
him. The ordinary stone in his gifted hands did extraordinary wonders.
Don't waste your time envying
others and what you think God gave them that He did not give you. You will live
a frustrated life if you do so.
It is one of those heritages we
learnt from Igbo cultural values. In the Igbo village setting, if for any
reason the food will not be eaten from the same dish, it is prohibited that a child looks into the
dish of another and more seriously too into the mother's food pot.
We should be satisfied with what
God has been pleased to give to us. We shouldn't begrudge God or envy our
neighbour who has anything we think we lack.
The Lord will bless you and
congratulate you for putting the talents you have received into good use like
the servants who received five and two talents. Make no complaints, do not
entertain any form of inferiority complex as a result of unnecessary
comparison. Don't put up the bad habit of giving excuses for failure. Do your
best rather to surmount all odds in order to succeed.
Don't say like the person with
one talent: I failed because of covid19, I failed because our teacher doesn't
know how to teach, I failed because my school is not among the best schools. I
became an armed robber because of unemployment. I failed in my marriage because
my husband was not reciprocating my love. I failed to raise my children well
because of poverty.
You're blessed beyond your
imagination. You're highly gifted. Protect what God has given you jealously. Do
not waste it. Do not allow the opportunities you've got no matter how little
they are to slip from you.
Forgot about what others have God
will judge you based on what He has given you and your effort to use them
according to His will for you.
YA GAZIERE GI: THAT YOU MAY DO
WELL
This is the blessing and prayer
of the master when he handed over the talents to the servants.
When God gives you any gift, He
wishes that you may blossom with it, that you may shine with it. God's
intention is usually that you may bear fruit,fruit that will last.
What is making you think that you
will never do well? What is informing your decision to bury your God-given talents?
Who is feeding you with the falsehood that you have got nothing from God? Who
said that you're Godforsaken? It is not
true! Have you been a failure all along?
You can do better. Yes! You can! Keep making effort in good direction. You will do well even with that your little.
May you do well in your spiritual
life. May you do well in your business. May you do well in your marriage. May
you do well in your vocation. May you do well in your education. May you do
well in governance. May you do well even in those areas of life that people
have written you off.
You will no longer be a
disappointment unto God, to yourself, to your family and your world.
May you do so well here to hear
God tell you: Well done good and faithful servant...
LET US PRAY
Oh God, we want to do well. We
thank you for wishing us well. We have done badly in so many areas of our
lives. But we believe that you have not given up on us. Thank you for the
talents you have blessed us with and help us to put them into good use for the
greater glory of your name that we may rejoice to hear: "Well done"
at last through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Happy Sunday (33rd Sunday,
Ordinary Time, Year A)
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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