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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me be a superhero by using my power to help people! Amen.


"Heaven," Jesus said, "is like a man who gave his servants money. One servant got two coins and used them to earn four; another used five coins to earn ten. A third got one coin, but just buried it to keep it safe. The first two servants told the master, 'I earned twice what you gave me.' They were rewarded. But the third servant said, 'I buried your money so I wouldn't lose it.' The master said, 'Lazy! You didn't earn any extra.' He took the coin away and gave it to the servant with ten coins." Jesus finished, "Those who use what they have will get more, but those who don't will lose it."

From "Green Lantern" to another "Spiderman," movie theaters lately are full of stories about superheroes. Many of them - like real-life heroes - are weak at first, but they're given talents or powers that help them become strong, fight crime and save lives.

This week's Gospel (Matthew 25:14-30) is about weak people and strong ones. Some servants, given coins called "talents," use that power to do good: They earn more money for their master. They're like the movie superheroes who immediately understand and use their talents to make the world better.

A lot of superhero movies point out that heroes can be reluctant at first. They see their power as something that makes them bad or different, and they're scared to even use it.

The third servant in the Gospel story was like that. He got a coin from his master, but was scared of taking a risk and using that power - after all, he might lose it.

Any superhero movie teaches that, though there's a risk in using powers, the good that the hero does makes it worth the risk. Jesus' story is about using our own powers - money, time, willingness to work - to help other people.

As the master in the story showed, doing good brings more good - but not taking risks doesn't get you anywhere![[In-content Ad]]

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