Homily - MCHS Graduation - May 2016 - The Parable of the Talents

HOMILY – MEMPHIS CATHOLIC GRADUATION MASS

JUNE 11, 2016

1.  Well, look at all of you.  Your family and friends are sitting behind you and they are so extremely proud of you. 

2.  Moms & dads, grandmas & grandpas, aunts & uncles, guardians, can you remember when you first held your graduate or the first time he or she spoke?

3.  Graduates, this is a VERY special day for you and you have reason to be proud of yourselves. 

4.  And, I ask you to look around for a moment and just soak in how many people have your back.  You are loved because YOU are YOU and for no other reason. 

5.  In today’s Gospel, we hear what might, at first, sound like a harsh message in Jesus’ parable. 

6.  “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away”.

7.  Every once in a while, Jesus’ message catches us off guard.  It doesn’t seem fair (unless we seek to understand his true message). 

8.  Remember, Christ used parables a lot to teach the people, AND, we love stories too. 

9.  So, what about these talents that the servants were given to take care of for their master?

10.  Maybe, one of your theology teachers shared this with you OR maybe this is new. 

11.  A talent was a large currency measurement in the days of Jesus.

12.  When we hear that the first servant was given 5 talents and then the second was given 2 talents and the third was given 1 talent. 

13.  I bet most of us, especially with our American culture, think “well what’s the big deal since it was “ONLY” 1 talent, that can’t be much compared to what the first two servants had?

14.  Well, let’s look at what a talent (in Jesus’ time) was worth. 

15.  My sources say that 1 talent = 6,000 denarii. 

16.  Okay, so what’s a denarii worth. 

17.  At that time, a day’s wages were worth 1 denarii.

18.  So, 1 talent would have been a HUGE amount of money! 

19.  But, we tend to focus on, not the worth of what we have, but on HOW MUCH MORE someone else has.

20.  Graduates, back to focusing on you – your history and your future!

21.  What talents do you have?

22.  I bet many of you are like me and get caught up in thinking that someone else’s great musical or athletic talents are so much greater than your own talents.

23.  But, let me share with you what I’ve observed over the years that I have shared with you.

24.  I’ve seen great communicators, I’ve seen you care for each other, I’ve seen you be creative, I’ve seen you tackle great projects at your workplaces and I’ve seen each of you show your love for God and in one way or another show God’s love to others.

25.  Some of you know some of the talents you have that you weren’t quite comfortable sharing with our school community, maybe that was in song or dance. 

26.  All of us have talents that we haven’t yet fully discovered yet.

27.  Jesus, in today’s Gospel, is telling us that God’s gifts (our talents) are of HUGE importance and value. 

28.  God gave these talents to each of us and He has a purpose for each of us.

29.  Think about it this way.  If I individually don’t use a talent, a gift that God has given me to use (to give away to someone), then some part of God’s plan goes undone. 

30.  You’ve each come from different backgrounds, from different hometowns, and your stories are diverse.

31.  But, you have gifts that God has given you and He wants you to explore them, to develop them, and to invest yourself in the lives of others.

32.  Graduates, I want you to do something for me right now and quickly but quietly. 

33.  Please stand and turn around to face your families behind you.

34.  Moms, dads, sisters and brothers, grandparents, guardians and friends --- would you please stand and look toward your graduate?

35.  As I pray this blessing over them, please think about the many talents that you have seen your graduate display and maybe some that they don’t even realize.  Please extend one or both of your hands toward the graduates as a sign of blessing:

·       God, our Father, you put each of us on this earth for a purpose, and you are helping us to discover this purpose.

·       We ask You to bless these young women and men and to strengthen each of them to trust in You and in the gifts that you have given them.

·       Graduates, we bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen!

36.  Please be seated.

37.  Graduates, we all love gifts and, over the years, you have received many gifts on birthdays, Christmas, Easter and more. 

38.  Some of the simplest gifts meant so much to you because you knew the giver of the gift.

39.  Some gifts of great value were special for a moment because you knew the $ value involved, but maybe you didn’t really know who it was from.

40.  So, how do I expect you to discover your own talents and to use them as God meant for you to do?

41.  You must know the giver of these gifts, these talents!

42.  To know in the academic setting is usually a head trip. 

43.  To know Jesus Christ, yes, we need to study His word and the history of ancient times and throughout our own times. 

44.  But, to really know Jesus Christ and likewise His Father, each of us must allow ourselves to enter into a personal relationship with the Son of the living God. 

45.  You’ve done amazing work at Memphis Catholic and I trust that you’ve grown in your understanding of faith and religion.

46.  As you walk out of this Church today, please consider this.  At your baptism, you were called to be a member of the Church.  You became a child of God.

47.  If you have not yet been baptized, know that you are loved by your God and He invites you to die and rise with Him through the life-giving waters.

48.  Amen!