There was a faithful and dedicated king’s household manager. Since he worked for a long time in the palace of the king and he was getting old, the king wanted to show his gratitude to him by building a nice house for him. But the King did not reveal to him that he is going to build a house for him. According to the order of the King, the house was being built. Time to time the king visited the building of the house but never said a word of appreciation for his supervision in constructing such a house. Hence he was discouraged and complained to his coworkers about the king. Since there was no encouragement from the king, he did not do his work with great perfection as he was doing earlier. Hence the house that was built was rather shabby. The manager went to the king and said that the house building is completed. The king came to see the house and the manager and other officials were present. The king announced that he was giving that house to the manager of his household as a gift. But the manager was so sad that the house is shabby. He said to himself if he had known that the house was going to be his own, he could have done it much more beautiful and nice. But it was too late.

Martin Luther king said, “Every work is noble and do it with great dedication. Even if you are cleaning the streets do it with great dedication. Cleaning the street makes people to notice you and they will speak of you well”. We can be Duck or an Eagle in life. We can be like a duck quacking and complaining and come out with excuse that we are victims of circumstances in life. We can be also like an eagle which soar above the crowd in the sky, making use of the opportunities creatively in the best way and bring in a change for the better.

The Word of God teaches us that each one of us is the “Purest stock” and “Choice vine” of the Lord. The Lord spared no efforts while planting us. “I planted you as a choice vine, from the purest stock. How then did you turn degenerate and become wild vine?” (Jer 2:21). Here Jewish people are compared to the vineyard and their settlement in the land of Canaan to the planting of vines in a vineyard (Is 5:1-7, Ps 80:5-15).

Prophet Isaiah speaks in the song of the vineyard the care and concern for Israel. He says that the Lord dug the vineyard and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines. Besides he built a watch tower in the midst of it. The Lord indeed has been pouring out his love, mercy and blessings on us day after day. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never came to an end, they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam 3:22-23).

The parable of the Talents (Mt 25:14-30) teaches us that it is not man’s talent that matters, but the choice he makes us how to use it. God does not demand from a man the abilities which he does not possess, but he does demand that a man should use to the full of the abilities that he does possess. What matters is the effort we choose to make. Even if the man with one talent had chosen to try to do something and had lost it, he would still have been rewarded. Where he went wrong was in the choice that he chose not to do anything with it. The other servants who made a right choice with what they received without any grumbling or compliant were given great responsibilities by the master. Let us therefore exercise the power of choice and do our work with great dedication and bring in a change for better in the place we live and work.

“Bloom, where you are planted” – Francis of Sales.

Most Rev. Dr. M. Devadass Ambrose

Bishop of Thanjavur