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Gospel: 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.'”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who lived in Germany during World War Two. Abhorred by the Nazis’ vicious rule, Bonhoeffer became an outspoken critic of Hitler, a decision that would cost him his life.
Before his execution in 1945, just weeks before the liberation of Berlin, Bonhoeffer wrote in his diary, “The sin of respectable people – of good, ordinary people like us – is running from responsibility.”
It would’ve been much easier for Bonhoeffer to take his voice – his “talent” – and bury it in the sand. But Bonhoeffer wouldn’t run from his responsibility; this was the work that God had given him to do – to stand up and speak out.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives a parable about a master who entrusted his servants with 1, 2, and 5 talents each. A “talent” was the equivalent of 15 years’ worth of wages for an ordinary person, or 80 pounds of silver!
Even the person entrusted with one talent was given much.
To the Master’s delight, two of his servants double his investment while he was away. Meanwhile, the third runs from his responsibility and, out of fear, buries his talent in the sand.
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The Apostles would’ve understood this parable in a very particular way.
What mattered was not how many “talents” they were given, but whether or not they accepted the responsibility of sharing the Gospel with the world, each in their own way.
For example, James was the first Apostle to be martyred for the Christian faith. His path was different from Saint Paul, who became the greatest missionary of his age, and who helped to write half of the New Testament.
Paul was here on earth for years – decades – longer than James and, for that reason, might’ve been given more “talents.” But each did what God gave them to do.
And each now shares in their master’s joy.
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All of these years later, what might this parable mean for us?
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We need Apostles like James and Paul, popes like Peter and Francis, and prophets like Bonhoeffer.
But, ultimately, the mission of the Church moves forward through ordinary people like us, and the woman in our first reading – a wife and mother.
The sacred author could’ve chosen anyone to embody a person pleasing to God – a priest, a prophet, a king – but he chose her.
She was a woman whose duties rarely extended beyond her home. Yet her goodness helped preserve her community, including her husband, her children, her servants, her neighbors, and the poor.
As it’s written, “She brings her husband good, not evil. She reaches out her hands to the poor… Her children rise and praise her… Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting, but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
This was a woman who’d been given a certain number of “talents” – whether 1, 2, or 5 – and she used them well, building up her family gesture by gesture. In doing the small things with great love, she became pleasing to God.
And like the priests and prophets who’d gone before her, she, too, shares her master’s joy.
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Perhaps this is something for us to contemplate this week. What are my God-given responsibilities?
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Perhaps you’re a son or daughter, a student, a parent, a spouse, a colleague, or a minister of the Gospel. Whatever responsibilities you’ve been given, embrace them with the same spirit as the humble mother, the worthy wife in our first reading.
It’s the same Spirit who filled the Apostles James and Paul, and the 20th century prophet, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
On this weekend of my third anniversary as pastor of this parish, I’m all too aware of my own God-given responsibilities.
Whether I’ve been given 1, 2, or 5 talents, I intend to use them all. In particular, I hope to energize the way we worship God together and to increase the effectiveness of how we hand on our faith to the next generation.
These are two responsibilities that we all share – worship and handing on the faith – each in our own way. As our vision statement reminds us, we are, “All generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”
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And when the Lord does come, may he find us watchful and waiting, building up the kingdom each in our own way – as mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.
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Image credits: (1) QuoteFancy (2) AZ Quotes (3) Medium
