[stephenkhoo]

PROACTIVE IN WORK FOR THE KINGDOM IMPLIES HAVING THE COURAGE TO TAKE RISKS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 TH 4:9-12; MT 25:14-30A cursory reading of today’s scripture texts, especially the gospel, leads us to presume that the moral of the parable is about the importance of using our charisms and talents fully.  After all, what is wrong with the man who kept the talent? He was ironically the faithful servant in small things, for he knew precisely that his master was, “a hard man”, reaping where he has “not sown and gathering” where he has “not scattered”.  Isn’t that what most people do? Some keep their money in the house, for fear of the bank going bust, and even if they do keep it in the bank, they would only get a paltry return in interest payouts. Likewise, many are afraid to invest in other instruments, for fear of getting their fingers burnt.  In fact the first two men could be deemed to have taken too much risk. What if they had lost all their investments?  Would the master still praise and commend them?So if we wish to be faithful to the original intent of this parable we must interpret it in the light of the kingdom.  This requires that we interpret this parable firstly from the situation in the life of Jesus.  Among the rules for the correct interpretation of parables, the punch line is always the last line or the character of the story.  We must not interpret the parables in an allegorical manner if we want to understand the original intent. Who was the audience if not the Jews, especially the leaders? The target of this parable was directed at the Jewish leaders in particular, and the Jews, because they had kept the gift of God for themselves instead of sharing with the nations.  The Jews had excluded sinners and pagans from the kingdom.  By multiplying the laws and applying a legalistic observance of them, they not only protected their religion from being contaminated by others but they also excluded them.Thus the focus of the parable is not the profit made, but rather the attitude involved.  Truly, who is the one that is insecure and protective of this gift?  Thus Jesus was condemning the Jewish leaders who, like the servant, apparently thought they were doing the right thing by hiding the talent because of fear.  Take note of what he said, “Sir, I heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground.  Here it is; it was yours, you have it back”.When the master discovered how the fear of the servant in taking risks had led to complacency, he said, “You wicked and lazy servant!  So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered?  Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest.” The point is that the kingdom of God in the teaching of Jesus has a universalistic dimension. It is offered to all. Israel was meant to be an instrument of salvation for the nations.  Instead they kept the gift of the Covenant for themselves and excluded the Gentiles.  It is this exclusivity and the lack of courage to venture beyond their race and national boundary that was condemned.Applying the parable to the Christian community of the evangelist, Matthew, the primitive Jewish Christians could have fallen into the same trap of reserving Christ for themselves. We know that the early Church had difficulty reaching out to the Gentiles for fear of compromising their customs and traditions.  But for St Matthew, it was important that between then and the Second Coming of Christ, the Church must be in mission, for the text says:“A man on his way abroad summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them … Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them”.   She has the duty to extend the kingdom of God by proclaiming Christ to the whole world and not be exclusive in her attitude towards non-Jews. Again, this demands that she takes risks in reaching out to the nations.How do we apply this to our situation as Church today?  Aren’t we faced with the same problems?  We lack courage in taking risks in the proclamation of the gospel.  We are afraid, like the servant, of venturing to unknown territories.  Too often in the name of preserving the truth of our traditions, we are not willing to adapt the conventional ways of ministry and Church administration to the changing needs and situation of our times. Stifled at times by institutional preoccupations and internal politicking, Church leaders are always in danger of becoming inward-looking for fear of losing their status quo rather than be proactive in seizing the opportunities of the time.  When we are overly rigid with regard to liturgical rules or some outdated traditions, whether in terms of worship or institutional structures, we might find ourselves redundant in the world unless we are willing to adapt.  Isn’t it true that because of fear, some Church leaders, clerical or lay, stifle the energy and dynamism of our youths, forcing them to seek refuge or find involvement elsewhere simply because we are afraid to invest in them, or we discourage them from adopting new ways of proclaiming the Gospel to their contemporaries who are hungering for God?All of us who are in some ways custodians of the Good News are also afraid to take risks.  We are afraid to ask relevant questions or confront critical issues, reflecting on them seriously and finding new ways to tackle the new concerns.  Instead, we learn by memory or rote, without questioning and understanding the answers of the Church to the world’s problems.  Unless we are willing to risk our lives by asking and finding new ways to proclaim the gospel creatively, we too could stand condemned, like the lazy, or rather, complacent servant.  By simply giving external obedience to the rules of the Church and half convinced of the teachings of the Church, we cannot make true witnesses and teachers of the faith.However, there is a price to be paid for trying to play safe.  For the master said, “So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”  Indeed, by being protective of our interests, we will lose whatever little we might have.  A leader who is protective of his members and becomes cliquish and exclusive will eventually find that there are no new members to replace the old. By trying to hold on to their positions, they will find themselves redundant in the lives of their people.Indeed, even in daily life, in being overly prudent, we stand to lose what we are afraid to lose. So a person who is afraid to lose his money and keeps them in the bank instead of investing them, will discover that the interest earned cannot compensate for the rate of inflation and so in real terms, the value of his money has dwindled.  An overprotective parent will find his or her children growing up to be either rebellious or lacking in self-confidence. A leader who is afraid of his competitors and tries to put them down, or suppresses the talents of his subordinates, will only do himself a disfavour.  Rather than seeing our opponents as obstacles to our success, we must employ them and their differing outlook in life to arrive at a more holistic solution to tackling the challenges at hand.  Without venturing, we will lose whatever little we have.Conversely when we take risks, we are rewarded.  Truly, if the early Church did not take the risk of allowing Gentiles into the Church, Christianity would not have been a world-wide religion.  Vatican II also took risks in self-renewal and in reaching out to the world by updating her theology and pastoral approach.  What about the local Church and the organization you are leading?  Are you a proactive, visionary and courageous leader who is not afraid of change?  Are you ready to take the best of what we have in the world today and make use of them for the growth of the faith, instead of being myopic and lamenting the current trends of society?  Bemoaning and complaining is but a form of escapism.  In every danger lies an opportunity and every opportunity demands that we take risks.So let us take the exhortation of St Paul seriously, for he tells us to “go on making even greater progress and to make a point of living quietly, attending to your own business and earning your living, just as we told you to.”  Instead of spending our time being busybodies and worrying about what others should be doing, we should look inwards and be initiators, doing what we can for the kingdom, setting the example of being open-minded and taking calculated risks for the extension of the kingdom of God.  Truly, a Christian who dares not take risks simply does not trust in the power of the Lord to change the situation.  We must surrender our plans to the Lord.  Like St Paul, we must be ready to change our mindset and explore new avenues to proclaim the gospel.

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV MSGR WILLIAM GOH

- See more at: http://www.csctr.net/reflections/#sthash.FWlpDw2c.dpuf

[stephenkhoo]

Bemoaning and complaining is but a form of escapism.  In every danger lies an opportunity and every opportunity demands that we take risks. - See more at: http://www.csctr.net/reflections/#sthash.FWlpDw2c.dpuf