A sermon on Matthew 25:14-30
By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
HCP columnist
There was a man who made his living selling balloons at a beach. He was center of attraction for the small kids, who were coming to beach along with their families to spend the quality time. The balloon seller used to sell balloons of many different colors, including red, yellow, blue, orange, pink, violet and green. He knew how well the different colors attract the children.
Whenever the business used to get slow, he had a wonderful strategy to boost his sales. What the balloon seller used to do is to release a helium-filled balloon into the air. When the children saw the colorful balloon go up, they all wanted one. They would come up to him with parents, buy a balloon and his sales would go up. All day, he continued to release a balloon whenever sales were slow.
One day after releasing a balloon up into air, the balloon man felt someone tugging at his jacket. He turned around and found a little African American boy smiling toward him.
The balloon seller asked him, “Which color balloon do you want?”
The innocent little boy looked toward helium-filled balloon into the air and asked with a curiosity, “If you release a black balloon, will that also fly?”
Moved by the cute little boy’s concern, the balloon man replied wisely, “Little boy, it is not the color of the balloon, but what’s inside that makes it go up.”
Jesus tells us what must be inside of us to make us go up to Heaven. "Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy." (Matthew 25:23.)
When you stand before God in your judgment, He wants to see that you were faithful to Him in even the small acts of kindness you do.
A 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop. A waitress came to his table.
“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
“Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table. The waitress was growing impatient because these patrons could order more and leave her a larger tip.
“Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.
“I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.
When the waitress came back to clean the table, she was deeply moved. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. He gave up the more tasty sundae for plain ice cream so he could have enough money to leave her a tip. She realized the boy gave her a larger tip than any of those others would. He gave it from the goodness inside his heart.
What are the great responsibilities God gives to those who are faithful to Him? The highest responsibility is to love, worship, and obey God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).
Then God will give you spiritual joys not only in Heaven but also now on earth. God calls you to spread His joy like a river flowing to others and not a reservoir where you keep them only for yourself. Jesus said, "I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!" (John 15:11.)
Blessings...Fr. Mike.
Fr. Mike Paraniuk is a Priest Chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. His sermons can be heard live over WLRU Radio 106.9 FM on Mondays at 7 p.m.