We asked: If you were given 20 million dollars by God what would you do with it?
NOVEMBER 19, 2023
YOU ANSWERED . . .
FR. TERRY’S TAKE . . .
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
- Matthew 25:14-30
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1) How often do we acknowledge the fact that each day is “the chance of a lifetime”? What are the obstacles in our lives, dispositions, and perspectives that hinder our ability to see each day as a gift?
2) “Jesus is clear,” John Ortberg argues: “What you do with your life and resources matters to him. It matters to the world that desperately needs what the Lord of the gift offers. … Jesus doesn’t want you to get to the end of your life and know that profound regret of missing the chance of a lifetime.”
Reflecting on all you’ve been given, do you sense any possibility of ‘profound regret’ for not better stewarding what He’s entrusted to you?
3) Martin Luther once said there were only two days on his calendar: today and That Day. Reflect on your daily routines (where you typically go, what you typically do, how you typically spend your time and money) and ask yourself this question: Am I investing today in the light of That Day?