Much given, much required
This is the law of our life. It is the law of love wherewe give back what we receive. In fact, we try to give back more thanwhat we receive. This is what Christ taught us. He said, "Much will berequired of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." (Lk 12,48)
If one is given a lot of gifts, blessings, privileges, opportunities,etc., then a lot should also be expected of him. He reiterates the sameidea a number of times in the parable of the talents, the parable ofthe seed, the tenants in the vineyard, and the different images hetaught about the Kingdom of God. Even on the basis of common sensealone, that idea should be a given, a no-brainer or no-contestproposition.
We have always been taught to trade with our talents, to make the mostof what is given and entrusted to us, to be generous and magnificentin the way we spend our life. Our life here on earth, after all, is atest of love, the real love, which is love for God and others, andnever just self-love.
But nowadays, we need to be sharply reminded of these words which actually indicate a very basic truth about ourselves, since we see precisely the opposite of this truth in many parts of the world.
And this fundamental truth is none other than that all we have, fromour life to our natural endowments and to the good consequences theseendowments bring, are always a gift from God and should be used inaccordance to his will or plan.
We tend to forget this truth. We tend to expropriate these God-givengifts as if they are simply our own, to be used in any way we want.And, boy, how we use them!
We have great people endowed with great talents, intelligence, power,fame and fortune, health and strength, who do not relate all thesegifts and blessings to God and his plan. They are never thankful toGod. They don't even miss him. They use and tout their gifts as if these are simply their own.
We can have a singing sensation, for example, with a tremendously powerful and beautiful voice, and who now commands immense popularity with many people practically swooning over her. And yet she flaunts her talent as if it is just her own, as if the success she hasachieved so far in her career is simply of her own making.
May we be generous in this department of giving back, convinced thatwhat we seem to lose by giving is actually regained and multiplied anumber of times, as Christ himself said, "For everyone who has lefthouses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farmsfor my name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inheriteternal life." (Mt 19,29)
By giving back what we receive, we foster greater connectivity andcommunion among ourselves. This is urgently needed these days when,ironically, we have many more communication technologies than beforeand yet we seem to have more people isolating themselves from othersnow than before.
We have to cultivate a strong appetite for communion by giving ourselves to others unstintingly, not so much for what they give us as for what God has given us.
We need to cultivate this appetite for communion withChrist. We have to develop a holy fear of simply being by ourselves,relying solely on our human powers and resources. This is a dangeroussituation to be in.
We need to enter into communion with Christ, which isactually what is proper to us, since our life is not meant only to beours alone, but rather to be vitally united with God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. We are made in his image and likeness. We cannot be without him in our mind and heart, and in our life as a whole.
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