Homily for Saturday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time

In the parable, one of the servants viewed his master negatively. He believed his master was a demanding man who reaped where he had not sown. Out of fear and a limited perspective, this servant chose to do nothing with the gifts he had been given. In contrast, the other two servants held a much more positive view of their master. As a result, they felt free to take initiative and even take risks with what they had.

Jesus revealed God as infinitely generous. He demonstrated that God's goodness is awe-inspiring and that God remains faithful, even when we are not. Unlike the third servant, who saw his master as someone waiting for him to fail, Jesus showed us that God wants us to take risks in our service to Him and assures us that we remain in His love, regardless of our success or failure.

God's unfailing love should inspire us to take risks with the gifts we have received from Him. The first letter of John tells us that perfect love casts out fear. We should not be paralyzed by fear, as the third servant was. God, who has blessed us abundantly, expects us to share our blessings generously and to trust Him with the outcome.