There is a story of a village chief who had three sons. Each of them had a unique talent. The oldest son had a talent for raising olive trees and he would trade the oil for various products. The second son was a shepherd and he had a talent for raising very healthy sheep. The third son was a dancer; he would entertain people and help to raise their spirits when they were feeling down.
One day the father had to leave on a long journey; he called his sons together and said, "The villagers are depending on you. Each of you has a special talent. See that you use your talents wisely and well so that, when I return, I will find our village happy and prosperous." He then departed.
For a while, things went well. Then the winter winds began to blow, and blizzards came. The village ran out of firewood. So, the people began to cut down the olive trees. The first son knew that the people would die without heat. So, he helped cut down his own trees.
Icy roads made it impossible for traders to reach the village and food became scarce. So, the villagers suggested that they kill the sheep for food. The second son refused but finally gave in recognizing that the sheep would be worthless if all the people died of hunger.
In this way, the villagers had just enough firewood and food, but the bitter winter had broken their spirits. They began to lose hope. Soon, they deserted the village in search of a better environment.
As spring arrived, so too did the chief. As he entered the village, he saw that smoke was rising from only his chimney. When he reached the house, he asked his sons, “What happened?"
The first son said, "Father, forgive me. The people were freezing and begged me to cut down the olive trees and so I did. I am no longer fit to be an orchard keeper." The second son said, "Don't be angry, father, the people were starving, so I sent my flock to the slaughter.
The chief understood and told his two oldest sons that they did the best they could. He told them that they had used their talents wisely in trying to save the people. Then he asked where all the people were.
The third son said, "Welcome home. It has been a hard time. I thought it would be insensitive to dance during such suffering. Besides, I needed to conserve my strength so that I could dance for you when you came home."
So, the father told his son to dance, to fill the village with hope, courage, and joy again. But when he stood up, his legs were sore and stiff from lack of use and he could not dance. The father became very sad. He said to his son, "Our village was strong. It could survive the lack of fuel and food, but not without hope. Because you failed to use your talent wisely and well, our people gave up what little hope they had left.”
The story in our Gospel reading today and this story contain the same message: God gives each of us certain gifts, talents, and strengths and we must recognize them, develop them, and use them to bring about the kingdom of God on earth. To use our gifts and talents for our own purposes or to not use them at all presents a serious problem in our relationship with God, our Church, and our family and friends.
We are called to recognize the gifts and talents God has given to us and to discern how to use them to do the work of the LORD. We may think we have little to offer, but that is never the case. God has given each of us the gifts of life and faith to share with others. We share these gifts through the unique talents that God has given to each person. We pray today and always for the wisdom and courage to use our talents to fulfill the mission that God has given to each one of us.+
Homily for Saturday of the 5th Week of Easter
Homily for the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
Homily for the Memorial of Saint Athanasius
Homily for Wednesday of the 5th Week of Easter
Homily for Tuesday of the 5th Week of Easter
Homily for the Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena
Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter
Homily for Saturday of the 4th Week of Easter
Homily for Friday of the 4th Week of Easter
Homily for the Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist
Homily for Wednesday of the 4th Week of Easter
Homily for Tuesday of the 4th Week of Easter
Homily for Monday of the 4th Week of Easter
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter
Homily for Saturday of the 3rd Week of Easter
Homily for Friday of the 3rd Week of Easter
Homily for Thursday of the 3rd Week of Easter
Homily for Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Easter
Homily for Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Easter
Homily for Monday of the 3rd Week of Easter
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