1 Cor 1:26-31 / Matthew 25:14-30
In this world, only a very small percentage of humanity will ever make a name for themselves.
The more popular ones are the actors and actresses, the pop singers, the top athletes and geniuses in their respective fields.
So, it goes without saying that the majority of us will come and go without the rest of the world ever noticing us.
Yet, we have this innate or inborn tendency to make a name for ourselves, to desire for attention, to bask in the limelight or to be just famous and popular.
In other words, we like to be praised by people and to be looked up to and even admired.
But the 1st reading would ask us this rather scorching question: What is there to boast about?
For us, how we stand before people is not as important as how we stand before God.
As it is expressed in the gospel parable, it is not about how many talents we have, but rather what are we doing with those talents.
We may not be flaunting our talents, but we may have to admit that we may be using our talents for selfish and self-gaining purposes.
Let us remember that we walk this way but once, and whatever good we can do, let us do it now, for we shall never walk this way again.
And for whatever good we do, let us give thanks and praise the Lord.