THE THIRD DAY OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR - SANCTIFICATION OF WORK - Gospel (Matthew 25:14-30)
- NHA CHUA CHA
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FIRST READING - Gen 2:4b-9, 15
"God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it."
A reading from the Book of Genesis
4 This is the story[a] of the heavens and the earth at their creation. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens— 5 there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the Lord God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man[b] to till the ground, 6 but a stream[c] was welling up out of the earth and watering all the surface of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man[d] out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,[e] and placed there the man whom he had formed. 9 [f]Out of the ground the Lord God made grow every tree that was delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 15 The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.
SECOND READING - Acts 20:32-35
"You know well that these very hands have served my needs and my companions."
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
32 And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated. 33 I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You know well that these very hands have served my needs and my companions. 35 In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 25:14-30
"Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more."
✠From the Gospel according to Matthew
14 “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey[a] called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents;[b] to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately 16 the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. 17 Likewise, the one who received two made another two. 18 [c]But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five.[d] He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ 22 [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; 25 so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ 26 His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant![e] So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? 28 Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. 29 [f]For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 [g]And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
THE THIRD DAY OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR - SANCTIFICATION OF WORK - Gospel (Matthew 25:14-30)
Dear people of God,
In today's Word of God, God reveals His plan of love to all humanity.
He is the Creator of heaven, earth, and all things and living beings.
He can do all things in this world, and one important thing God wants humanity to know is that only human beings were created by God the Father in His image, and God the Father always loves humanity, desiring to bring peace and happiness to mankind.
From the very beginning of creation, God arranged for humans to be happy in the Garden of Eden, to dwell with Him according to His will. Everything was under providence and instruction of God the Father.
God the Father wants everyone to listen and obey His teachings, for that will bring goodness to mankind.
God is the Loving One; He never abandons humanity. Therefore, He descended to earth to accompany and be with humans in all places and at all times.
God instructs humans very meticulously in life, especially in daily work.
God the Father wants humans to follow His instructions and not their own will, as the parable in today's Gospel says that a master, before going on a journey, entrusted talents to his servants so they could make a profit for him. One received five talents, another two, and another one. These are the rewards the master give to his servants; they collaborate in the work to generate benefits and help people in life.
This parable signifies that God is the Giver of all blessings and grace to humanity.
God is a good, merciful, and loving master; He also bestows rewards, which are the grace or talents, upon different individuals: some receive five, some two, and some, one; and these individuals must cooperate with God in multiplying the talents or grace that God the Father bestows.
These graces will help humans live and do what God the Father instructs; they are the grace of love, talent, health, intelligence, knowledge, or life experiences that God grants to mankind.
Each person has a different grace: some have much, some have little, depending on the capacity to bear or receive the grace bestowed by God.
All these graces are directed toward God; they must be developed and made fruitful to save one's own soul and the souls of others.
When living out these graces, that will also help people attain happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven.
However, if anyone buries the grace without producing a profit for God, they fail to help save souls, these servants will have to give an account before God the Father.
God the Father will cast them into the darkness of prison, just as the master dealt with the servant who buried the talent and did not produce a profit for him.
God also warns and invites people in today's world to strive to work to produce a profit for God, to develop the talents and graces that God the Father has bestowed upon humanity, which is the salvation of souls.
Everyone in this world is under God's providence and receives grace, being granted different gifts; no one is without talent, and no one is without intelligence or wisdom.
God will settle accounts with each person by calling every soul before God the Father to see what has been gained from the graces God bestowed upon each person.
God wants everyone in this world:
To remain vigilant to carry out the holy will of God; do not bury or hide the talents or the graces that God bestows upon us.
To trust completely in God and follow His teachings; do not let God cast our souls into the darkness, into the place of eternal death.
God the Father does not want humanity to live in suffering and darkness.
Therefore, on the Feast of the Sanctification of Work, God invites everyone to strive to work and yield profit from the graces or the talents that God bestows to purchase the entry into the Kingdom of Heaven; so that one day, God the Father will call that soul before the judgment seat to give an account, to return the talents or the graces that have yielded profit for God the Father.
God the Father wants humanity to look at the parable of the master who entrusted talents to his servants, so that from there they may remain vigilant and strive to work for God the Father to save souls; do not lose or bury the graces that God the Father bestows upon us.
That is the call that God the Father intends for all humanity today and throughout their lives: to always remain vigilant to work for God the Father effectively, so as not to fall into the traps and temptations of Satan and distance themselves from God and His grace.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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