33rd Sunday of Ordinary
Time Year A, 2014
That last line of
the gospel is not too cheerful is it?
Wailing and grinding of teeth doesn't sound too good. The stakes are high in this parable.
This parable of
the 5 talents seems simple at first. The master gives talents, the first two
people invested them to get a return, the third guy buries his talent and he
gets in trouble. So, Jesus is reminding us that we are to use our gifts to
spread His kingdom in our world.
But, where I think
it gets tricky is to figure out what these talents are? The word “talent” throws us off right
away. When we think about talents we
think about our skills or unique things we can do. I play guitar.
You could say I have a talent for playing Dave Matthews Band or Van
Halen songs. I also have a talent for
golf, I have a single digit handicap and I love playing golf. These are some of my talents. Can I use these to advance the kingdom? Are these the talents Jesus is talking about?
I remember
learning in the seminary that our English word “talent” is based upon this word
from this passage of scripture.
Originally, talent did not mean our skills or abilities. Rather, “talent” was a unit of money. So, I spent some time this week researching
how much a talent was worth. This was
really eye-opening.
First of all, a
talent was actually a measure of weight.
It was the approximate weight of the amount of water that filled a
standard measuring jug of the time called an amphora. The Greek talent, therefore, weighed in at
about 57 pounds. This standard unit was
used to measure precious metals, like silver or gold. More than likely, the talents to which Jesus
refers would have been talents of silver.
A talent of silver was roughly equivalent to the wages of a skilled
laborer for 9 years. Hear that again, 1
talent equals the amount of money a skilled laborer would make for 9
years. Put into today’s figures, imagine
a person makes 30,000 dollars, multiply by 9 and you get a sum of… a lot! (270,000). All of a sudden this parable seems
to take on new significance.
Thinking about my
“talents” at music or golf seems somewhat insignificant in the face of the
sheer amount of money we are talking about in this parable. The man with the 5 talents was given over a
million dollars. This was a huge
investment on the part of the owner. What
kind of equivalent can we find in our own lives? What are the really massive gifts that God
has given us?
Let’s start with
life itself. Can any one of us really
say that we deserve it? What did I do to
earn such an amazing gift? You could say
that the gift of life was given by our parents, but where did they get it, who
gave it to them? The gift of life is the
single most important gift anyone of us has ever received. Ultimately, this gift comes from God who
bestowed it upon the human race. If it weren’t
for God, none of us would be alive. Now,
when we see Christ, he will ask us: “what did you do with that gift?”
Our first reading
reminded me of other gifts we receive.
It talks about a worthy wife… I think we could also talk about worthy
husbands, children, family members. It
is no secret that very often we face difficulties and tensions within our
family. But, do we ever stop to see them
as the amazing gifts that they are? God
has invested in us greatly by bestowing upon us life, and also the lives of
those people around us.
I was thinking a
lot this week about the tremendous blessing of this parish community. I’m constantly amazed at the faith, good-will,
kindness, and generosity of this family.
And now I have to ask God’s help to see how I can invest all these gifts
I have received for the growth of his kingdom.
Not to mention gifts like the Eucharist or the sacrament of confession.
This parable is
difficult and unsettling in some ways.
Here Jesus tells us that he expects a return on the investment he makes
in us. But, before we know how to put
his gifts into action for the spread of the kingdom, we have to be able to
recognize how God has blessed us in our lives.
This week, either as individuals, or maybe together as families, make a
list of the “talents” or amazing gifts that God has given you. Next, find a way to turn those gifts into
investments for the spread of the kingdom of God. We all want to hear the same thing when we
meet our Lord on the last day: “well done, good and faithful servant.”
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