Recently our deacon gave his homily on Matthew 24:14-30, the parable of the talents. He presented the talents as the presence and grace of God, given to us in different amounts.
At the sign of peace I realized there weren’t enough Eucharistic ministers so I went up to the altar with my heart open to whatever the Lord wanted to do through me. I received the hosts to distribute, and when Father Bob and the deacon choose stations on the side, I positioned myself at the center aisle.
Toward the end of Communion distribution, Father Bob came up behind me singing the communion hymn and very gracefully, between communicants, took a big handful of hosts from my chalice. I could see 20 or more people in my line and I had only a dozen or less hosts left in my chalice. Would God multiply them?
Then the line next to mine ended and the minister dumped a dozen or so hosts into my chalice. I ended up with more than enough.
After the last communicant, I went to the side table by the altar where Father Bob was cleaning up. I offered him my chalice but he immediately handed me his and directed me to collect the extra hosts. I combined his and mine, looked around but found only empty chalices. As I held out the chalice with the remaining hosts to Father Bob, the head minister took it out of my hand and started toward the choir, leaving me holding his empty chalice.
Back in the pew I knelt in thanksgiving and asked the Lord to help me understand the meaning of the confusing emptying and refilling of hosts from chalice to chalice. Was this an illustration of the talents as the presence and grace of God, offered to us in different amounts? I now saw the hosts as his Eucharistic grace and presence. In our openness and flexibility to the will of God we find ourselves receiving and giving away his grace and presence in exciting and unpredictable ways.
We can rethink our attitude toward all our talents and resources and see them as gifts of grace and presence. We are given a particle of God’s presence unique to who we are in him. We can’t ever understand this mystery of how we receive and give away his presence within us, but we carry it in the sacred chalice of our hearts, ready to share it as we are directed.
Some are given talents for big jobs as evangelists, priests, politicians or theologians. Some use their talents in less visible jobs, confined to a household of children and their local circle of influence. For all of us the mission is the same: to carry his presence into the world with joy.
Copyright © 2012, Nancy Ward
Nancy Ward
Nancy HC Ward, author of Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story, was once a shy convert. She has spent decades writing about conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith. After earning a journalism degree, she worked for many years for the Texas Catholic (newspaper of the Diocese of Dallas) and the Archbishop Sheen Center for Evangelization, and later began her own editing service. An active member of the Catholic Writers Guild and a regular contributor to a number of high-profile Catholic publications online, she also has a busy blog on spirituality called Joy Alive.net. She’s a contributing author to The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion. Now, through her Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story workshops, retreats, book, and DVD, she shares her conversion story at Catholic parishes and conferences, equipping others to share their own stories.
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