Mt 25: 14-30
Today’s Gospel is a challenging parable for all of us. It presents us a rich man who is going on a journey and calls his three servants to entrust them with his possessions. He does so according to his perceived abilities of each servant. To one he gives five talents, to another he gives two talents and the third servant receives only one talent. This master departs on his journey. Immediately, the servant with the five talents went and traded with the five talents and made a profit of another five talents. The servant who was entrusted with two talents also makes a profit of two additional talents. However, the third servant with only one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
To be faithful in small matters
After some time, the master came back and settled accounts with his servants. The servant who received the five talents told his master that with his entrusted talents he duplicated them and produced the additional five talents. The master was very pleased and told him “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy!”.
The second servant with two talents then came forth and produced two extra talents as his profit with the two talents entrusted to him by the master who was pleased with him and praised him: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy!”
Then the servant who received only one talent came forward and explained his actions: “Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back!” The master’s irate response was an unexpected accusation with terrible consequences for the third servant: “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
Everything is possible with Jesus
Undoubtedly, there are elements and actions that are very disturbing in this parable. Where does this parable lead us? The master represents our Master and Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. He comes to us and gives talents in accordance to our abilities—abilities that we may not acknowledge in possessing. Christ gives us many talents. It is up to us to acknowledge, receive, embrace, and share the talents with other servants. First, we must acknowledge the presence of our Master and Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Realizing that in Him everything is possible, if one thinks he or she is capable without acknowledging that God is the force that moves us forward, one will fail. Second, we must die to ourselves and recognize that everything we do should be for the good of others. He wants to share many graces with us and we must accept them with dignity, entrusting in Him. Third, whatever the grace might be we must embrace it from within and make it our own. Lastly, we must share His graces with our neighbor, in order to bring the Lord—through our acts of mercy, Scripture, and unconditional love—to all.
Do not hide your talents underground
We want to become a loyal servant, one who will share grace. By sharing grace with others that grace will work on that person and might even lead towards a conversion of life, by transforming a shattered heart into one in Christ. That is the profit that the Master will account for at His second coming. He will judge our lives and reconcile us if we have put our talents to work for others, how many other sinners we have brought to the light of the Gospel. Through this parable our Saviour is telling us to put our many talents to work to bring Him profit. Not monetary profit, but profit in spiritual gain and faith. Do not hide your talents underground put them to work in order to gain profit, to at least bring one sinful soul into the Light of Life and Truth.
Luis M. Quesada, Ph.D, Miami