This morning’s Gospel reading is Matthew 25:14–30:
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one— to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to 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 one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to 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 one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘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.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘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 to 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.’”
It’s confession time, right here at Hot Air: I used to love “The Gong Show.”
In fairness, I was thirteen years old when it first launched and probably seventeen or so when it ended. Let’s just stipulate up front that my tastes were not exactly sophisticated at that time of my life. The format, the obviously tongue-in-cheek approach, and the little ceremonial flourishes with the regulars all made for a fun spin on the old talent-show format, as most of the people involved really didn’t have much talent at all. (A handful did and went on to have careers in entertainment.)
Looking back, what seems most impressive to me about all of those contestants is how much they tried to do with the talent they did have, even when it was clearly insufficient for their goal. We can certainly talk about how the show exploited their desire for fame and fortune, which it did, and the ethics surrounding that on a very public platform. But for the contestants themselves, their effort to do their best with what they had and the courage in doing so still strikes me as remarkable.
Today’s Gospel reading brings this to mind, but also a companion passage from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Paul had to settle arguments within the church of Corinth regarding disputes over the rankings of those whose gifts served the community. As Paul explains, the Holy Spirit bestows ‘gifts’ on all Christians, which are then put to use for the Great Commission of making believers of all nations in Christ. All gifts are of equal dignity, Paul scolds, and all serve the Body of Christ in toto:
4 There are different kinds of gifts. But it is the same Holy Spirit Who gives them. 5 There are different kinds of work to be done for Him. But the work is for the same Lord. 6 There are different ways of doing His work. But it is the same God who uses all these ways in all people. 7 The Holy Spirit works in each person in one way or another for the good of all.
We are to put those gifts of the Holy Spirit to use as a community, not for our own glory but for the glory of God. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are of the Holy Spirit, and He has chosen each of us for those gifts to serve each other in the Body of Christ. We do not have these gifts, or “talents,” to serve ourselves, and we are not to reject these gifts by burying them and doing nothing for the Holy Spirit’s mission.
It is this context that unlocks the Gospel reading today. Taken literally, the parable of the talents sounds more like an investment lesson than a parable of faith, but clearly there’s more than meets the ear. The word “talent” in the parable refers to a unit of measure for valuable commodities such as gold and silver; by accident or otherwise, it is also a synonym of sorts for “gift.” And while profit is indeed at the heart of this lesson, monetary profit is not the point.
The most important part of this parable, in light of 1 Corinthians 12 as excerpted above, is the first two sentences. The “talents” do not belong to the servants. They belong to the Master; the servants are only stewards of the talents. The Master distributes them according to ability and expects the stewards to put those talents to work for Him, notably in His absence. They are given those gifts to advance the Master’s work — and those who do “share your master’s joy.”
The steward who receives one talent doesn’t do anything with his gift, however. He doesn’t steal the talent, but returns it unused and buried. This steward rejected his responsibilities and presumably spent the time of his Master’s absence pursuing his own interests instead. Having done nothing at all for the Master, the servant is indeed “useless” as a steward and faithless to boot, as stewards always have a duty to put their Master’s benefit ahead of their own.
The clearest lesson of this parable relates to the Church Jesus will found at the end of His Passion and Ascension. Jesus warns the disciples that the Master will leave for a long while, and leave the stewardship of His enterprise in their hands. Some will have more gifts than others, but all will be expected to contribute to the spread of the Gospel and the Church’s work in salvation. When Jesus returns at the end of the age to judge the world, He will want an accounting from the Church as well as its members for how His gifts were used for their intended purpose.
This responsibility still includes each of us as individuals, which is where the example of “The Gong Show” comes to mind, as well as talent shows in general. Those contestants put a lot of effort into making the most of the talents they had and have, even when the talents may seem to be meager, both for their own benefit as well as for others. How much effort do we put into making our own gifts of the Spirit useful to the Lord? How often do we put those talents to use in our parishes and communities to help spread the Gospel message of love and salvation — and how often can we not be bothered because it interferes with our own priorities?
Jesus makes clear that He will account for that when He returns or when we come to Him. Those gifts do not belong to us, but to the Lord, and we are called to put them to use for the Body of Christ in equal dignity and responsibility as our brothers and sisters. Don’t bury those gifts, but give thanks to the Lord by putting them to use for the sake of the Gospel. You don’t want the gong and the wa-wa-wa-waaah in the end, after all.
The front-page image is “The Parable of the Talents” by Willem de Poorter, c. 17th century. On display at the National Gallery in Prague. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here.
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