How we use our blessings

ART BY TINE PAZ-YAP

November 15, 2026 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Proverbs 31:10‑13, 19‑20, 30‑31; Psalm 128, R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord; 1 Thessalonians 5:1‑6; and Matthew 25:14‑30

Last Sunday, we reflected on the grace of vigilance in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. We mentioned that the overarching theme of the Gospel these last three Sundays of the liturgical year is the desire for an encounter with Jesus.

This Sunday is the encounter of rendering an accounting to the Lord for what he has entrusted to us. And this is the first point for reflection: how God trusts us. His trust is such that He has given so much—our life, our talents or blessings, the whole of creation—and the freedom to choose how we are to use them.

This is an overwhelming grace. God gives us so much and entrusts so much to us. And what makes this so much greater is the freedom for us to choose how we are to use all that He has entrusted.

Undertaking extraordinarily difficult tasks

The second point for our reflection regarding our use of what God has entrusted to us is how we use his blessings. St. Ignatius of Loyola’s example gives us an excellent framework.

St. Ignatius was described by one of his closest collaborators, Fr. Juan de Polanco, S.J., as one who had “great energy in undertaking extraordinarily difficult tasks, great constancy in pursuing them, and great prudence in seeing them through completion.”

This is one tried and tested path to making use of the blessings—most especially the opportunities—that God gives us.

The first choice we need to make requires one grace: the grace of the willingness to get out of our comfort zone. Are we willing to undertake extraordinarily difficult tasks?

This requires courage. The choice must come from our innermost core, our heart, from which courage comes. Once the choice is made, we need the energy to take on the task.

Having the courage and energy to take on opportunities

I have one very personal experience to share. Decades ago, when I was still a young Jesuit scholastic or seminarian, we were faced with the task of preparing a campaign for the ratification of the 1987 Constitution. Back then, I was working with Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), a multi-religious congregation organization that grew out of the Namfrel Marines, who took part in the 1986 snap elections and EDSA People Power.

The general sentiment then was to ensure the ratification of the constitution as a key step in strengthening our newly won democracy. In a long discernment meeting attended by over a hundred members of SLB, the decision was not to campaign for “yes,” but to do an information and education campaign.

This was going against the grain, as most church groups went for a campaign for “yes.” When we announced SLB’s decision, several groups and superiors asked us to reconsider and go for a campaign for “yes”; otherwise, we would not be receiving funding support.

We stood our ground and very calmly stated that the choice was unanimous after a very prayerful discernment meeting. What followed was great energy and faith to undertake a nationwide campaign that also faced the challenge of reaching and influencing what was known as “loyalist” groups.

Faith that what we did was good

The next step was pursuing the task. We assembled a group that studied the draft constitution and translated it into a user-friendly manual. We even printed the manuals with scant resources.

One principle that guided us was that if the constitution was good for the country, as many said, then there was no need for a “hard sell.” To let people know the right information about it would suffice.

These gave us constancy and prudence; everything we did was guided by making sure our manual was user-friendly and by the faith that the draft constitution was good, so we needed to inform the people well. Modesty aside, SLB played one of the most important roles in the campaign for the ratification of the 1986 Constitution. We had one of the best materials that groups from all over the country asked for, so the support and funding came.

We printed tens of thousands of manuals, packed them by the hundreds, and shipped them via LBC. There were days when dozens of volunteers worked round the clock—packing, marking, and sending out the manuals to the provinces.

To give back to God

To this day, I look back on this experience, and it somehow became part of my discernment process in working on “extraordinarily difficult tasks” that God sends my way.

In making use of opportunities that God gives us and applying our other blessings to make use of the opportunities, have the courage and energy to take on these opportunities, no matter how seemingly difficult. Pursue them with constancy, and always be prudent in seeing things through to completion.

The final point for reflection: After deciding what to do with our blessings and how to do it, the most important point for consideration is a “reality check.” Why are we doing what we have chosen to do?

There is only one reason. We will do it all for the greater glory of God. This is the best way we can give back to God for all that He has blessed us with and the trust He has given us.