In today's gospel, we heard the second of three parables that our Lord used to teach about the end times -- the end of the world -- the end of our lives, that is, the intent, the purpose and the upshot of our lives. Last Sunday we heard the first parable about the ten virgins: five wise and five foolish. And the admonition to "stay awake! For we know neither the day nor the hour!"

Today our gospel reading retells the parable of the three servants who are entrusted with funds -- with Talents -- in varying quantities in proportion to their abilities. The first and the second steward invested everything that they were entrusted with and it yielded them double what they were given. And to this end they were generously rewarded. But the servant that was given only one, he dug a hole and buried what was given to him. And then excused his worthless and lazy stewardship by accusing his master of being a 'hard man'.

As a sneak preview to next week's gospel; you will be hearing the ever familiar parable of the last judgement. You remember!? Where Jesus Christ will come in all His glory and sit upon His Judgement Throne. He will separate the nations just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep -- the righteous -- on His right and the rest on His left. And those on His right will inherit the Kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of time by our Heavenly Father.

These three parables, and in particular today's "parable of the talents", impress on us the need for "right living". Of course, it IS and WILL BE God's grace that saves us and gets us into heaven. However, our cooperation with that grace through virtuous living plays a big role as well. And in fact, the two are inseparable and go hand in hand. We cannot separate our good works from God's grace, and visa versa. In today's gospel, God is the Generous Master who gives each of us TALENTS according and in proportion to our abilities. And we are the servants who receive these talents; in the way of natural abilities, intellect, opportunity, and especially grace; and in particular the virtues of faith, hope and love. These gifts are meant to bear good fruit for the building up of God's Kingdom, for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

When we use our gifts for these purposes, they yield back double what we are given and EVEN more. When we neglect or ignore these gifts out of sheer laziness or apathy, this parable tells us the talents will not only yield no dividends but what we have will be taken away and given to the one who has.

Our first reading today from the book of Proverbs speaks of the blessings of a good wife. Likewise ladies, finding a worthy husband is a value far beyond pearls, also. But a good husband or wife is only GOOD because he or she is using the gifts God gave them in a VIRTUOUS way.

And we don't have to die to get the benefits from RIGHT LIVING. Today's responsorial psalm tells us, "Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways! For you SHALL EAT the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored!"

Blessed indeed is the one who lives according to the ways of the Lord. But this way is not the way of the world. The way of the world is filled with detours. Enticing pleasures that detract us from the life God created us to live. How can we overcome these detours? How can we get on the straight and narrow?

Through Conversion, Conviction and Courage!

The first action we notice in today's gospel parable is an act of an imparting trust. The master entrusts the servant with talents. Likewise, God entrusts us. He trusts us with His kingdom, His work, His spirit, His presence, His gifts. This parable is teaching us about a trusting faith, and to have a trusting faith means we have to have a conversion. And our CONVERSION is an expression of our trust in God. To have a conversion is nothing less than allowing God's grace to change our lives. Practicing our faith, hope and love.

The second action in this parable is trusting the giver. God trusts us with the building of the Kingdom and saving of souls. The first two servants were convicted by this trust and through their faith, their trust in their master, they were able to increase what was given to them to the glory of their master. We too, through urgent conviction, can accomplish great things to the Glory of God! We need to learn how to act on our trust. The more we act on our trust, as shaky as it may be, the more we become convicted in our faith.

The third servant feared His master and failed! Through courage, we overcome the fears of "Letting go and Letting God" into every aspect of our lives. Through the virtue of courage, we can work toward the building up of God's Kingdom even in the most adverse conditions.

My brothers and sisters, today may be the most important time in our life to make a decision. We can either ignore or neglect the gifts and talents God gives us. Or we can say, "I knowingly entrust my life to Jesus Christ. I willingly accept His will over mine with urgent conviction. And despite my fears, in courage I will follow my Lord and Master and walk in His ways."