Mt 25:14-30
At that time Jesus told his disciples this parable: “For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’
What do we do with the talents that God has entrusted to us for our lives and, more importantly, for the kingdom of God?
Today’s Gospel makes it clear that all good things come from God. Everything has been given to us, everything has been entrusted to us, to each one according to what God has planned for him. So talents are not our own merit, but are given to us. In reality, this is a matter of course, but it is important to always keep this in mind, because in this way we acquire the right attitude towards God and towards life, and we become humble. We are only the recipients.
However, because of vanity and pride, it is easy to forget that gifts and talents are given to us, and sometimes we even forget from whom they come.
We are responsible for how we use our gifts. In fact, they have not been given to us just to sustain our own lives. God has established a community between people so that their gifts serve not only the one who possesses them, but also other people in the environment God has assigned to them. But first and foremost, we are accountable to God for the gifts He has entrusted to us. What is God’s plan for our lives? How can we make the most of it and use our talents? By living in communion with God, we can bear much fruit.
Taking responsibility means that we have to give an account of our life to God, because He is the one who knows all our opportunities and how many of them we have used and how many we have not; He knows what we could have done and what was not within our abilities.
In today’s parable we see two servants who have carried out their master’s intentions. They receive their well-deserved praise and reward for their service. The third, however, buried his life, so to speak, and did not fulfil his task in the least. What should have served the kingdom of God, and therefore humanity, was wasted.
The consequences are clearly shown in today’s Gospel. He who has not used the talents entrusted to him for good will lose them, and he who has used them will receive more and more.
We can understand these words when we realise that God gives us His gifts out of love and wants us to multiply them in the same love. He who serves love with all his strength will have an abundance, because love and the capacity to love increase with every act of love. On the other hand, the one who does not act in love and does not multiply the talent given to him, his heart will grow colder and colder and he will live only for himself.
So let us turn our gaze to God, with attention and deep gratitude, and ask ourselves what it is that He has entrusted to us by giving us life and the gifts it contains. If we constantly attribute them to Him and thank Him, we will be able to resist the temptation to adorn ourselves with the gifts, to try to make people admire us, etc., so that we will be able to use them with the right attitude.
