"Why?" Reflection on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year A

Alright, it is time for a little confession.

 I hate studying.

 People often thought my “geeky” Asian look meant that I am a book-worm. The truth is, however, I have never been very fond of academic pursuit. My reason often is that I have a practical mind. I would much prefer being out there doing something useful, rather than sitting in a classroom studying abstract ideas.

It stroke as a big blow after I entered the seminary where my fundamental responsibility, of course, is to study. Not only to study, I was asked to study Philosophy. In other words, I was to study thoughts and abstract ideas. Ironic enough, isn’t it?

Needless to say how much I struggled trying to find meaning and the will to sit through classes of Metaphysics, Epistemology, Anthropology, the Philosophical sequence, in which we learned about the thoughts of Ancient Greeks to Contemporary thinkers, such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, Hegel, etc.

I remember telling Fr. Ferdinand Santos, one of my professors, how much I hated almost all of my philosophy classes. I didn’t know why I had to do it. And, above all, I found them utterly useless.

The wise priest looked at me and began to tell me that he too hated Philosophy with all his passion as a young seminarian. Then, his bishop decided to send to Belgium to attain a degree in Philosophy. He, too, struggled to find meaning for what he was asked to do. His spiritual director, at that time, challenged him with these words, which he, in turn, challenged me,

“For one to whom much has been given, much will be expected. God has given you a good brain; he is going to expect much from you.”

Well, you can’t really argue with that, can you?

Today’s Gospel recounted the parable of the Master and his servants to whom he entrusted a certain amount of talents. Two of them invested the talents and brought about interests, while the third buried it. The Master, after he returned, commented the two faithful and wise servants, and sent the other one away “into the darkness outside.”

The Gospel challenges us to ask ourselves, “What talents have I received from God? What have I done with them? Have I make use of them wisely?”

To students like me, have we made us of our privilege to have a good education? Have we “invested” our intelligence and our capacity to learn and to gain knowledge?

To workers, have we given our utmost abilities and skills to our work fields?

To husbands and wives, have we given ourselves completely to our spouses, and ultimately to our children who are both gifts and talents entrusted to us?

Most importantly, we also ought to ask ourselves, “Have we done everything out of love, or merely out of no-other-choice grudging duties?”

As Mother Teresa wisely put it, “The important thing isn’t how many actions one carries out, but the amount of love one carries in each action.”

After all, it is not what we do, but why we do what we do is what matters.

Hopefully, for all of us, Christians, the reason would be for the love of God and of our neighbors. So that, one day, when our Master truly return, we humbly hear him say,

'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.'