>>There’s an old legend that says: After God created all the animals of the world, they walked around happily getting used to being alive and their new bodies. This was true for all the animals except for the birds. They wondered why other animals had four legs to run. The fish had fins to swim, and all they could do was hop a few steps. They thought that God had punish them because they had these awkward things on their shoulders.  

But then they discovered they could flap these wings and then soar into the sky, something no other animal could do. And soon they discovered what they thought was a heavy burden, was a wonderful gift from God. This story brings up an almost forgotten dimension of faith, something that Jesus talks about in the gospel parable today.  

Faith is belief. Faith is trust. But faith is also risk. It’s a leap, if you will, into the unknown. Now think about one of the great Bible stories in the Old Testament. Moses. Where God calls Moses to leap into this power struggle with Pharaoh in order to set the Israelites free from slavery. That was a real leap of faith. It was faith at risk. And today, the parable of Jesus is about risk taking versus playing it safe. It’s a parable about how we ought to live. As we wait for the return of Christ. The parable which is familiar to us. We know that the Master representing Christ eventually returns from his trip to evaluate the servants and what they have done with their money. 

And we hear in this gospel how he praises one of the servants who invest his five talents and makes five more. Today, we are invited to ask ourselves, Are there powers and potentials, if you will, that God has given to us? But we’re not using them to multiply their goodness for the common good, for the good of all God’s family. Are we taking risk? Sharing the faith that Jesus has entrusted to us to let our light shine brighter and to enlighten others? 

Friends, next Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King. It’s the last Sunday of our liturgical year, and the readings today remind us of something important to keep in mind. Clearly, the master has expectations for us. What will we have to show for what has been entrusted to us? When it comes to the treasure of our faith, will we be able to show a return on God’s investment in us?