To Every one who Has, More will Be Given!

Mt. 25:29

Thanks to the Lord, we are now in the GEBREHEIR week of the Lent. GEBREHEIR is a Ge’ez word, and it means “faithful servant”.  The focus in this week is to know more about how one could become a servant faithful enough to the Lord.

Our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, has taught us that the way to become a faithful servant is by trading more in the talents he is given and becoming profitable. As we read from Mt. 25:14-31, the Lord is impartial in giving us the talent we deserve. We may be given with five, two or one. What really matters is, for us to be profitable in as much as the talent we are given. If we are loyal and obedient enough to do this, the Lord will praise us and will let us “enter into the joy of [our] master! Mt.25:21, 23. Our Master, Lord God, will welcome us in to the heavenly joy. For we have become trustworthy in what we already have, our Lord will appoint us over many things. This was the choice of the two servants who were given five and two talents each. The praise of the Lord has come to them since each has doubled his talent through diligent trading. The five were made ten; the two were made four. The one given with one talent is condemned because he kept his talent idlely, i.e, he buried it. He also accused his master. So, his talent is snatched and given to the one with ten talents. In so doing, the Lord declares thus: “… to everyone that has, more will be given and he will have abundance, but as for him that does not have even what he has, will be taken away from him.” Mt. 25:28-29.

All this is meant to teach us Christians to become curious in discharging our responsibilities in the house for God. We may be ordinary (lay) believers, deacons, priests, nuns, monks, bishops, archbishops or a patriarch. Each of us is measured in front of God based on his performance in the title or role he has. One has to live up to the role he is expected to play. There are roles the lay believers are expected to play. They have to put into practice the spiritual teachings of their fathers. If they implement the words of God as they are told to do, the Lord will praise them for serving as fertile grounds for the seed. They will, however, be cursed if the seed, the word of God, that has fallen on them is choked by thorns or is carelessly sown on rocks for birds to consume it. Since such a seed could not take roots. Profitability in the faith is demonstrated through exhibiting more love, generosity, peace, orderliness and other Christian virtues. A true child of God listens to His father which talks to him through chosen ministers who have vowed to serve the house of God.

Similarly, the ministers have a clearly defined role which they are expected to execute in utmost love and care. They shall actively teach their stock about the house of God and reprimand them when they (the stock) are off the track. Still many have not heard the work of God. They live with idolatry, fornication, atheism and other evils. The world is also being harassed by placeless minds which work hard to create war and terrorize others. All this gives the ministers of God and immense responsibility of ransoming the world.

To be successful in this regard, advice is given to the clergy by St. Paul who writes an epistle to his disciple, Timothy. Timothy being chosen to stand in the fatherly prerogative of apostles, advice given to him will be beneficial to our fathers who aspire and have to profit more in their talents. In 2 Tim 2:1-16, Timothy is advised to act as a soldier of Christ. A soldier defends many from enemies. A True father defends his children from heresies through active teaching. This may bring upon him suffering as is the case with a soldier. For a soldier to wear the crown, he has to be a tough fighter. A religious father shall also teach and pray ceaselessly to see his children multiply in the faith. A father should keep himself away from fruitless talks of the world. He is expected to advise his stock to be strong in Christ. If he is a model, the faith will spread to many more lands and souls.

St. Peter in turn has advised both the lays and the clergy as per their responsibilities. He advises the elders, i.e., the fathers to look after their stock in love and never by force. Fathers shall, according to St. Peter, be models of a Christian life. For this, they will be rewarded by God when He comes to Judge us all. Similarly, ordinary followers must be decent in front of their divinely instituted fathers.

Both fathers and their children in the faith may be persecuted for some time. They have to tolerate that to make their talents profitable and to get reward when God comes for his judgment 1Pet 5:1-12.

To be a loyal servant of God, one needs to follow the example of St. David. He was so holy that his mind was set on serving God. Here is a verse from his psalm (40:8). To do your will, o my God, I have delighted; Any your Law is within my inward parts. A loyal servant like David feels happy to do the will of the Lord. In the talents he is given, be is five, two or one-he works more and profits more. He doesn’t bury the talent he has and condemn His master. For such a believer, the Law of God is inscribed in his heart; he never takes such a law as a burden.

When he is asked to fast, pray, teach or learn in the house of God, a loyal servant needs to feel happy. He does all that to win the kingdom of God as the two servants who entered into the joy of their master.”

There is a lot of work to be done in the house of God in our time. Each of us, both the lays and the clergy, need to know our roles and goals. We have to profit more. As lays, we have to grow in the faith and charm others by putting the Holy word we have heard into work. Our life should be hard work, peace and fraternity to be models to others who deserve to come to the house of God. This is the profit of our talents we are expected to present as He comes to audit our life.

Similarly, our fathers are expected to be fatherly enough. They shall work even harder to baptize souls that are still out side the house of God. Their life should be attractive enough to others.

To sum up, a loyal servant knows his roles. Such a person follows the examples of the two servants who doubled their talents through hard work, as we saw in the Gospel of Mathew. The reward for such a servant is not crying and gnashing of teeth, which is the fate of the servant with one talent that he buried disloyally instead of putting it to profitable trade.

There is a lot of spiritual work to do in this sick world. We have to work hard with God to heal it. We should also make our personal life Godly enough. This would make us loyal and worth-rewarding servants for the master. Amen!  
   

May God Bless us, Amen.