The Word–Fr Tony Percy– Calling Out Fear (This week is the wonderful parable of the talents. A talent is a unit of measurement with one talent equals 6 ,000 denarii and a denarius were a working day's wage. These fellows have been entrusted with five talents, two talents, one talent. Two of them go off and trade very well and the Master entrusts them with greater things inviting them to enter into the joy of the Lord. Of particular interest is the fellow who was given one talent and buried it. Didn't even put it in the bank. And when he comes back for the examination, he says to his master, I knew you were an exact and difficult master. Therefore, I was afraid and therefore I hid the talent. And so, the question arises, who on earth told this fellow that God is harsh? Someone has got into this guy's head and convinced him that somehow God is harsh and then this causes the fear to rise up and he's paralysed by fear and then he can't do anything. There's no activity, he's frozen in immobility. I wonder whether if we stop and think about it whether some people have this idea of God which is completely and utterly erroneous and therefore it stops them, creates a barrier and creates fear. You've frozen in your immobility, and you can't have a proper normal life. You're frozen, your ministry, whatever God's calling you to, is not coming forth because there's a fear. Let's call out our fears this week with each other and see if we can't release some more baptismal dynamic energy within the heart of the body of Christ.)
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