Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 / 1 Thess 5:1-6 / Matthew 25:14-30
The human body is an amazing and highly organized living structure.
It is made up of a unique physical combination of bones, muscles and organs, that work together for the human body to function.
So, we are able to sit, walk, run, work and do many other things that the human body is capable of.
And we can even train our body for advanced abilities like sports, dancing and playing musical instruments.
Yes, the human body is amazing, and wonderful, and also beautiful.
So, it is important to take care of our bodies, and for us, we also believe that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
So, it is not just the mind and the heart that is to be holy; the physical body is also to be holy.
All that points to one important thing, and that is, the human body is meant to move and to work and to serve God.
So, it is obvious that if we were to laze around in bed the whole day, we will feel even more lethargic instead of energetic.
In fact, the more we move and work, our bodies will become better and stronger.
The same can be said about our faith. Our faith needs to be exercised in order to make it deeper and stronger.
But when we hide our faith and even bury it with other worldly concerns, then our faith will slowly rot and die.
It is like what the gospel parable says about the three servants.
The master entrusted to them his property, each in proportion to his ability.
The first two promptly went and traded with them, and made double the amount they were given.
But the third servant went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
When the time of reckoning came, the master rewarded the first two servants and said:
Well done, good and faithful servant, you have shown you can be faithful in small things. I will trust you with even greater.
But the servant who hid his master’s money was punished for being wicked and lazy.
He tried to defend himself with excuses, but his master saw his real ulterior motives.
As we think about the gospel parable, let us also reflect about our faith.
Faith is a gift from God. Faith is also a precious and powerful gift.
With faith, we can move mountains. But more importantly, faith can bring down showers of blessings from heaven.
When we pray with faith, we will see marvellous signs and wonders from God.
When parents teach children how to pray and bring them for the Sunday Eucharist, God will bless the family with peace, providence and protection.
For those who serve in ministries, God blesses them with humility and charity. And they will be served by angels in their time of need.
As a parish community, we gather in faith and offer up prayer and worship.
We pray for our needs, the needs of the Church and the needs of the world.
We also persevere with hope, so that we can see the fruits of our faith and prayer.
Let us keep exercising our faith, so that God can make it stronger and deeper.
As Jesus said: For to anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough.
Let us give thanks to God and treasure our faith, and we will receive blessing upon blessing.