God's people should put effort into the things they do, as God will love and praise them for their actions.

"In the story of the talents, the head of the household leaves the servants 'talents' or money, which they are expected to foster and develop during the leader's absence," the Nov. 15 bulletin for San Francisco de Asis Catholic Church in Flagstaff said. "Today we think of talent as an innate ability or skill. It is interesting that they were distributed 'according to ability,' which would express a certain intimacy as we realize that the master knew each one and already had an idea of their capabilities."

The bulletin noted that the servants weren't given explicit instructions on what to do with the money. One servant received five, another received two, and still another received one.

"When the head of the household returned, the outcomes were just as varied as we and our responses might be," the bulletin said.

While some people are multitalented, others are inclined to do best with one or two things. And some people simply struggle.

There aren't always clear instructions on what to do, and sometimes we are simply asked to try our best, the bulletin encouraged. When we do that, God will give us praise for our actions and attempts.