Vatican City (Tuesday, 11/17/2014, Gaudium Press) At his weekly Angelus message on Sunday, in front of thousands of pilgrims gathered at St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said: “Jesus does not ask us to keep grace in a safe… He wants us to use it for the benefit of others.” He was speaking about the passage in the Gospel of Matthew (25.14 to 30), which relates Jesus’ parable of the talents.

The Pope said that the lord of the parable is Jesus Christ, who gives us many talents, among them, his Word, the Eucharist, Faith and His forgiveness, to use and multiply in our lives and in his kingdom.

What have we done with these gifts, the Pope asked. “Who have we ‘infected’ with the faith? How many people have we encouraged with our hope? How much love have we shared with our neighbour?” Every time and place, he said, “even the most distant and impractical,” can be a place where we can make our talents grow.

The Holy Father invited the faithful to read this parable, not to hide the gift of faith and our belonging from Christ, much less to “bury” the Word of the Gospel, but to make it circulate in our lives, in our relationships, in concrete situations.

“God trusts us, God has hope in us!” “We must not be deluded, we must not allow fear to deceive us,” he continued. Rather, we must have confidence in God, who has confidence in us. Mary, the Pope said, “incarnates this attitude in the most beautiful and most complete way. She received and welcomed the most sublime gift, Jesus in person, and in turn offered Him to humanity with a generous heart.” “Let us ask her to help us to be ‘good and faithful servants,’ he concluded, “in order to participate in the joy of our Lord.” He concluded (LMI)