1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 / Matthew 23:23-26
To be endowed with some kind of spiritual gift can indeed make a person very popular and famous.
They will be sought after, and they can also command a certain degree of influence and authority.
For e.g., the gifts of healing or prophesy or spiritual vision, can make a person very influential over the lives of others.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul talks about another gift - the gift of preaching.
But he emphasized that it was a duty and a responsibility.
He was also aware of the possibility of abuse in the work of preaching.
In fact, as we see it nowadays, one can make a career out of it and even make some money out of it.
St. Paul warned the missionaries of the early Church not to preach for money or honour, nor for authority or power.
Not all of us are gifted with preaching but we can't deny that each of us are endowed with a particular gift or talent.
Whatever these gifts or talents are, they are to be used to serve God by serving the Church as well as to serve humanity.
The imagery St. Paul used in talking about gifts is like that of a mother feeding and looking after her children - it is a duty and responsibility.
As Jesus highlighted in the gospel - our gifts should be used in the work of justice, mercy and building up the faith.
So what we are is God's gift to us; what we make of ourselves is our gift to God.