First Reading: Ex 34:29-35; Psalm: 99 R. v. 9c; Gospel: Mt 13:44-46

GODLY USE OF OUR GIFTS

BY FR VALENTINE NNAMDI EGBUONU, MSP

Every one of has some beautiful natural gifts to relish on. However, there are many other potential gifts that we may have to discover on our own. These latent gifts are not as visible as the natural talents we have. Naturally, we may be a very good musician or an artist. But added to this gift, we may also have the potentials to be a good movie actor or an athlete. These facts are re-echoed in the gospel of today. The man in the parable found a treasure in a field without searching for it. On the contrary, the merchant had to search diligently in order to find some fine pearls.

Jesus used these allegorical expressions to speak of the kingdom of God. And summarily, the kingdom of God is the salvation of man. What this implies is that our natural and potential gifts and talents should be geared towards our salvation. So, we must all remember that using our God-given gifts reasonably and discovering our potentials and improving on them are all means to our salvation.

Jesus wants us to value our gifts and used them not just for our own good but also for the edification of man. So today, we can re-evaluate our commitment to using our gifts efficiently and reasonably; and our desire to discover other latent gifts that are yet to be explored upon. For every musician, music and the lyrics should edify and not corrupt the soul. Works of art should also be edifying and not just the expression of some conventional moral standards. Whatever gift or latent skills that we have should help to draw souls closer to God. It is by making this a priority that we value the kingdom of God and help each other to draw closer and closer to it.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Lord Jesus, may we use our God-given gifts for the salvation of souls. Amen.