「Spiritual Talk」Thirty Third Sunday of Ordinary Time – Fr. Anthony Ho

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Thirty Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, and the Gospel reading comes from Matthew’s Parable of the Talents. There was a master who entrusted his servants with talents before leaving–clearly, the master represents Christ, the servants represent His disciples, and the talents represent His graces. The departure of the master parallels the departure of Christ from His Ascension until His glorious return and general judgment. A saint once said that the servant who buried the talent represents those who bury their abilities in seeking only worldly things and not searching for spiritual truths. The other servants, on the other hand, worked diligently to earn more money for their master. The servant who buried the talent blamed the master for being harsh and painted himself as a victim, showing that he possibly envied the other servants for receiving more talents. But the master revealed that laziness was the real reason and although he did not lose any money, he could not bear the servant’s laziness. We must also treasure the opportunities God gives to us and improve the world starting with ourselves. When Christians waste time, they might also waste their salvation. During the pandemic, we must not only watch television but should use the additional time to pray and care for our neighbours.