August 30, 2025 Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; Matthew 25:14-30
After Timothy’s visit and the good news he brought, St. Paul continued to appreciate the Thessalonians and their way of life marked by faith and hope. He also expected them to shine more and more through their exemplary living. In today’s text, Paul tells them that God Himself has taught them to love one another. Their love requires no further proof. Yet Paul urges them to continue loving one another, and to do so more and more. He advises them to cultivate a peaceful and quiet life. Instead of worrying about others, they should mind their own business. A strong work culture and sound work ethics should be the trademarks of their lives.
The Parable of the Talents is amazing for many reasons. Although God our Creator is benevolent to all, He does not entrust the same kind of responsibility to everyone. He gives talents to each person according to his or her ability, but He expects every person to work. God wants us to be creative and industrious, and He assures us of good results when we use our gifts well. We are mere stewards, expected to display responsible and faithful stewardship. This means actively using not only our abilities but also the opportunities entrusted to us in service of God.
The servants who multiplied five and two talents both received the same appreciation and reward because each one did his best according to his capacity. But when we squander God-given opportunities, gifts, and talents, we dishonor God and His generosity. Sadly, the servant who received one talent not only disobeyed the king’s command to work and trade but also blamed the giver, accusing him of being harsh and greedy. God’s response to him was strong: He was called wicked and lazy. These words are not compliments but condemnations.
Call to Action: God does not create anyone without special gifts and talents, even though He does not endow everyone with the same ones. He expects every believer to make fruitful use of the gift of faith, alongside their worldly abilities.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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