November 16^th 2014.  Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

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Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

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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: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . It is important not to turn the Parable of the Talents into an opportunity for moralising. All too often we use the parable to emphasize our duty and obligation to use our talents. The key to the story is the trust that the master shows to his servants. He distributes eight talents among them. A talent was worth thirty-four kilos of gold, an enormous amount of wealth. The master, thus, is entrusting his entire possessions to his servants. When the first two servants repay that trust, the master’s response is to entrust them with even more. The third servant, by contrast, buries the talent. He does not take possession of it at all because he has a negative view of the master and of his possessions. All too often we have a negative view of God and we fail to appreciate the blessings that he has entrusted us with! We behave like the third servant, ignoring or burying the blessings and opportunities that the Lord has placed before us. It is essential that we contemplate the goodness of the Lord and learn to appreciate the graces and occasions that he sends our way! Once we learn to contemplate his goodness, once we begin to make the Lord the first thing in our lives, then we learn to put those blessings and capacities to use joyfully. We end up being fruitful and a blessing to others. There is a big difference between a moralising interpretation of this parable and an approach that sees it as an encouragement to take possession of the good things that the Lord has entrusted to us. The moralising approach sees the will of God in a negative light, as an onerous duty that foils our natural inclinations to go our own way. The positive approach sees God’s will as a blessing, a call to take possession of the master’s goods and use them in the service of everyone.

The first reading praise a woman for her fruitfulness. From where does this fruitfulness derive? From the fact that she places God first in her life

The first reading provides us with a key for understanding the parable of the talents found in Sunday’s Gospel. The woman described in the first reading is formidable and worth more than any pearls. What makes this woman so wonderful? How does she manage to bring happiness to those around her all the days of her life? The passage does not laud the woman for her beauty or seductive powers. Instead it speaks of her works, of her creative capacities and her service to the poor. The end of the passage tells us that charm and beauty are empty. What counts is to fear God. The reading thus connects the fear of God and being fruitful with the work of one’s hands. The Gospel for Sunday expresses the same theme in a different way.

The key to this Gospel is the faith shown by the master in his servants

In the Gospel the master shows faith in his servants. This faith is fundamental. What the servants are given by the master is not something insignificant. A single talent represented enormous wealth, approximately thirty-four kilos of gold. The master gives to each servant according to his capacities, eight talents in total. Thus he is entrusting nothing less than his entire wealth to his servants. We must be careful not to interpret this parable in moralistic terms, emphasizing the notions of obligation and duty. No. What we have here is a reflection on the faith that is shown by the master in each one of us. The master is incredibly generous! He entrusts the servants with his possessions, and when they repay that trust, his response is to entrust them even more! God entrusts us with things to achieve. Life should not be a constant search for moments of recreation. In the degenerate society in which we live, life is conceived of as the constant quest for entertainment. Work is seen as something that tends to impede this quest. People who are unemployed know that this is not the case. They appreciate that constant idleness is dehumanising, whilst work is something very important. But many people who have work consider their jobs to be a boring interval between one weekend and the next. What is important is to get work finished, have fun, rest ourselves.

This Gospel is not trying to scold us for the little that we do with our talents. It is encouraging us to launch ourselves with enthusiasm into the blessings that the Lord has given us – big difference!

It is important to appreciate the fact that each one of us has been given something important to achieve. It is essential that all of us launch ourselves with enthusiasm into the blessings and talents that the Lord has given us. The goods that our master has entrusted to us are incredible! Some of the gifts are natural and some are supernatural, like the sacraments and the word of God, things that each of us can appropriate in our own way. It is beautiful to be alive! It is beautiful to work! It is beautiful to use one’s life in this way!

The third servant is someone who does not embrace the gift that God gives him. He thinks negatively of God and of the graces of God. He ignores or buries the blessing of God and the blessing bears no fruit whatsoever.

What does the case of the third servant represent? This man does absolutely nothing. He takes the talent that has been given him and buries it under the ground. When the servant tries to justify his behaviour, he says, “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.” This servant never took possession at all of that which had been entrusted to him. He said to the master, “Here is what is yours”. It is fundamental that we take possession of the graces that have been given to us! God has bestowed great graces on all of us and it is up to us to accept them! God does not force us to do so. He does not compel us to make use of the opportunities that have been presented to us. It is up to us to seize what has been offered. The third servant does not take possession of what as given to him because he had a negative opinion of his master. “Master, I knew you were a hard person . . .” But the truth is that our master is not a negative figure in the slightest. He is incredibly generous and all he wishes for is that we would respond in like manner for our own good. The notion that he would “harvest where he did not plant and gather where he did not scatter” is derived from a false and negative image of God. There is a common notion abroad that God is severe and demanding? But this belief has no basis at all!

Let us think positively of our great Lord and embrace the blessings that he has given us. Once we do so then our lives will become fruitful and a blessing for others

In the first reading we are told that the woman who places God first in her life is exceptionally fruitful in the work of her hands. There is a connection between fearing God (where the “fear” of God implies placing him first, contemplating him and holding him precious) and the fruitfulness of our lives. The will of God is not a trap but a gift! The will of God is a beautiful occasion which we have for bearing fruit. The parable this Sunday encourages us to take possession of the trust that the Lord has shown in us. Let us cease thinking that we live under a tyrannical God. The Lord is generous! He gives us the privilege of a mission to accomplish. He entrusts us with works to be carried out so that we can experience his generosity. Let us open our hearts to think positively of God and to welcome the occasions that he puts before us.