1 Thessalonians 4:9-11 / Matthew 25:14-30
In the working world, it goes without saying that the company's interest is first and foremost priority.
The way to move ahead in the career is to do what the company wants of us.
So if the company appoints us to be in-charge of a branch office, it goes without saying that we must do our best to develop that branch office and enhance the company's core product or core business so as to make it a profitable branch office.
To neglect that would mean that we are not interested in the company's business, and that won't reflect very well on our future with the company.
The gospel parable has those three servants who were given different sums of money by the master to manage according to their own abilities.
So they have the means, and it is up to them to put how much effort into what they were in charge of.
And the last servant was punished not because he lost the money and failed in his investment.
He was punished because he didn't have interest of his master as the priority. In other words he couldn't be bothered, and that is why the master called him a "wicked and lazy servant".
The parable reminds us that we must take our faith seriously and that we need to pray always to be guided by the Holy Spirit to do God's will.
When it comes to the time of reckoning, may we heard the Lord say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant."