Magandang umaga po ! Happy Sunday and happy family day to everyone !
Our theme for today’s reading is: Creative Fidelity.
Fidelity is faithfulness, not only to our spouse but also to a cause or belief such as to our Christian Faith or to the democratic principles. It is also faithfulness to a person or a company such as to our parents or the company we are working. Creative Fidelity is innovative (making use of imagination) loyalty and support — mapamaraan ang kanyang katapatan sa asawa o’ sa trabaho.
Here is our first reading: (Proverbs 31:10-20, 30-31)
Who can find a woman of worth?
Far beyond jewels is her value. Her husband trusts her judgment;
he does not lack income.
She brings him profit, not loss,
all the days of her life.
She seeks out wool and flax
Like a merchant fleet,
she secures her provisions from afar.
She rises while it is still night,
and distributes food to her household,
a portion to her maidservants.
She picks out a field and acquires it;
from her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength;
she exerts her arms with vigor.
She enjoys the profit from her dealings;
her lamp is never extinguished at night.
and weaves with skillful hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Acclaim her for the work of her hands,
and let her deeds praise her at the city gates.
And here is our Gospel reading: (Matthew 25:14-30)
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
“So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
“For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
From our two readings we see examples of Creative Fidelity:
1. The wife who is helping her husband earn income for the family.
2. She avoids buying what she can already make by her own hands.
3. But she is also generous to the poor and the needy.
4. She also understand business. She acquires a field and from her earnings she plants a vineyard.
5. And from The Gospel, the two servants who is able to earn as much as the capital entrusted to them. They are able to double the capital after a certain period.
6. Recently, one of our staff was on an errand to look for a puncher for our printed calendar. The printing press who printed our calendar does not have the equipment to bore a hole where you insert the metal hanger of that size. We asked around and were informed it is in Binondo where we can find that equipment and it will cost around P2,500. With P2,500 in hand, Dado volunteered to work on a Saturday to look for that equipment. Early Monday morning I asked him what happen? Where you able to find the equipment? He said no, but he bought instead an ID puncher. It turns out that it is just the right equipment for our calendar and it cost only P150. I learned later it was his wife who thought about the ID puncher. (What a beautiful example of creative fidelity — mapamaraang katapatan sa trabaho).