Question of the Week - November 15, 2020, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
“Well,” I find myself often saying to friends, “What a time we are living in!” Moreover, would you believe I retired amid these pandemic months? Indeed, what a time! I was so looking forward to joining classes at the senior center, taking part in the Friday work mornings at the parish, and meeting other quilters through membership in the local quilt guild. However, those parts of life have seemingly come to a halt.
On the other hand, during these most unusual months, I have thought much about talents that were a vital part of my young adult life before my ministry career, and family commitments became significant focuses of my time. One of my strong talents was writing music for children and retreat and parish mission work. Both retirement and this pandemic time have provided me with the space to rediscover and honor that talent. I have begun to hear the beginnings of many new songs in my heart. While I never lost the talent and faithfully used the talent these many years, I know that this is a time to focus on this talent more substantively.
For me, that is one of the invitations of today’s Gospel (Matthew 25:14-20). God has given each of us talents. He asks us to invest them in ways that bring about a significant and life-changing return for the kingdom. With all of its challenges, this most unusual year is also a season of opportunity to reclaim, develop, and dream new ways to use our talents to bless, heal, and rest our world.
In the words of Max Lucado, “You were born prepacked. God looked at your entire life, determined your assignment, and gave you the tools to do the job.”
Those tools are our talents! May we invest and use them well.
Mary Sellars Malloy has over forty years’ experience as a Catholic educator and lay minister. She is a frequent workshop presenter on prayer, liturgy, spirituality, the Sacraments, and the RCIA. Also, Mary leads retreats and parish missions throughout the country. Her goal is to encourage Catholics of all ages to appreciate and to live their Catholic faith.