Ad Jesum per Mariam

Jesus Watches You Use Your Special Gifts to Build Up His Church

Jesus Watches You Use Your Special Gifts to Build Up His Church: Parable of the Talents In the liturgy, we hear words of finality. Today we hear the end of St. Matthew’s Gospel during weekday Masses. During Ordinary Time throughout the year, we engage the public ministry of Our Lord. We do so in three ways. The Church begins by hearing about His public ministry by reading the Gospel of St. Mark. When this is concluded, we move to how St. Matthew presents the public ministry of Jesus. We then move from St. Matthew to St. Luke. The Church reads then Luke’s account of Jesus’ public ministry. Hear more within the Homily. In today’s Gospel, we hear of one of Jesus’ last teachings just before His Passion. It brings an end to His public ministry. This teaching is a capstone, and a reminder of what Jesus is teaching to all of us. Before His Passion, he concludes His public ministry with the parable of the talents. Finality Our own lives have a finality too! It’s a simple fact that our lives on earth will also come to an end. At that time, we all must face an accounting of our lives. No one can escape this fact. The Lord in the Gospel is not simply giving a parable of responsibly using what one has! No, it’s a lesson that is deeper than that! The context of the lesson is Life Has Been Given. One also has been given a finite number of days. Sooner or later, the days we have on earth come to an end. When that moment arrives, there is a moment when an accounting occurs. Hear more in the Homily. A Gift from the Holy Spirit Each person is given a treasure of goodness to put to work in the world. We all have unique gifts given by God. The Holy Spirit has given each of us individually, not only a gift we can enjoy, but a gift for the building of God’s Church. How Will We Account For it? Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to: Jesus Watches You Use Your Special Gifts to Build Up His Church --------------------------------- Images: Parable of the Talents Etching: Dutch Painter and Artist: Jan Luyken: (l: 1649-1712) --------------------------------- Gospel Reading: Matthew: 25: 14-30 First Reading: 1 Cor: 1: 26-31

Broadcast on:: 05 Sep 2024
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the Lord be with you, a reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Jesus taught his disciples this parable, a man going on a journey, called in his sevens and entrusted his possession 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 the five talents went and traded with them and made another five, like wise the one who had received the 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 these sevens came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing the addition of 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 seven. 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 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 seven. Since you were faithful in small matters, I 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, less seventh. 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 retain. 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 seventh into the darkness outside where there will be wearing and grinding of teeth." There is a sharp and distinct element of finality that we are confronted with in the liturgy today. And this finality operates on a number of different levels. The first is very practical. With the words of this gospel reading, our time reflecting upon and reading the gospel of Saint Matthew on the weekdays of ordinary time comes to an end. That is not insignificant in terms of how we understand what we encounter here. Over the weekdays of ordinary time as we move through the year, we engage the unfolding of the public ministry of Jesus in three different ways. We begin by reading sequentially through the account of Jesus' public ministry in the gospel of Saint Mark. And then when we have concluded that, we move to how Saint Matthew presents the public ministry of Jesus. This coming Monday, we will begin reading from the gospel according to Saint Luke. And we will read through Saint Luke's gospel just as we've done the other two sequentially from the beginning of his public ministry after his baptism until he is in Jerusalem giving those final aspects of teaching that take place just before he stretches out his arms on the cross. That is exactly what we have in front of us now. Jesus is in Jerusalem speaking to the people and he will be dead on the cross just a day or two later. And so this is the teaching that also brings to an end his public ministry. And again, just listen to the note of finality that is present in those words. There's something about this teaching then that serves as a capstone. And as a reminder of the fullness of what he has been trying to communicate to us, before he stretches out his arms on the cross to save us, he concludes his public preaching with this parable of the talents. And lurking behind this parable are a number of important issues, not the least of which is the fact that there is a finality toward which our lives are directed to. The simple fact of the matter is there will be a day when our lives on earth come to an end. We don't like it when anybody says that, but that's the truth. And at that point of finality, there is an accounting that must be given and no one can escape it. And so the Lord is not simply giving a parable about responsibly using what one has. This is in the context that life has been given and the days of that life have been marked out and they're not infinite. And sooner or later they do come to an end and when that ending arrives, there is a moment of giving an account. What a remarkable image then the Lord uses here. And it operates on two distinct levels. On the one hand, every single human being on earth, every single human being who has ever lived or who ever will live, receives life from the hand of God. It makes no difference whether that person is a believer or an unbeliever. That is the fundamental truth. And every human life is given a treasure of goodness to be put to use in the world and there are zero exceptions to that. Whether one believes it or not accepts it or not makes no difference. That is the fundamental truth. Every human life comes from God. Every human being is given life and in that moment is given a goodness to put to work in the world. And every single human life, believer or non-believer is accountable for that. All of a sudden that puts a sharp note on that joyful song we just had, happy that people the Lord has chosen to be his own. We like that idea, the Lord has chosen me. I'm the Lord. That's wonderful. And normally we make the mistake of framing that narrowly in terms of what do we get and how do I benefit. But what is the Lord's? It doesn't simply mean what we get. It means what have we been given to use. This is in particular more important even for those of us who have come to faith in Jesus Christ and have been born into a new life by means of holy baptism. And as the Lord pours his spirit upon us and gives us a sharing in the life of his son, we hear elsewhere in the writings of Saint Paul this fundamental truth to every single one. And again, you have to love Saint Paul. He allows no exceptions to every single one. Speaking to the church, every one of you, a believer who has been baptized, understand this about yourself. To every single one of you, a gift of the Holy Spirit has been given for the up building of the church. Note what that says. Not simply a gift for you to use and enjoy. Not simply a gift to build you up, but you have been given something for the up building of the body of Christ. And the body doesn't receive it if you don't use it. The body doesn't receive the gift if you withhold it, if you hide it, if you deny it. And the implication is God wants that gift to be given to his church, to his people. Happy the people, the Lord has chosen to be his own. There's a fundamental accountability that comes with belonging to Christ, that comes with belonging to the Lord. And in the end, each of us is going to stand in front of him. And it's not just going to be a matter of have I been good or have I been bad. It's not going to be a matter of me patting myself on the back and saying, Oh, thanks be to God, I have no really big sins. That's not really going to impress the Lord. The real question is also going to be what have you actually done? How have you used the treasure of giftedness, goodness that I have given you? Have those who should receive the gift that I've given you? Have they received it? Have they seen it? Or has it Lane hidden? And so now we turn to our parable of the talents with all of this in mind because there are weighty issues here. And we see that the Lord calls his servants to himself. He is going away on a journey just like Jesus does as he ascends into heaven. He has gone away from us for a time. Oh, but he will return. Just as is the case with every person born into this world, into this world now. But the Lord is returning. The Lord is returning and he is going to be interested in seeing what it is we've done with what he's entrusted to our care. And so we know then the whole context is the servants are being trusted with something and that trust has an expiration date on it. That date is when the Lord returns and they stand before him again. When the Lord becomes, returns and calls them to himself, it is a substantial opportunity, but it is a limited one. But then we read that this is a tremendous trust as the Lord is measuring out funds from his treasury, ten talents to one, five talents to another, one talent to a third. This is not the Lord saying, here's a hundred dollars to one and fifty dollars to another and ten dollars to somebody else. That would be trivial. And this is not a trivial teaching. A talent is a substantial amount of money. A single talent makes a man wealthy. And so note, the servants are brought before him and the king divides up his wealth among them. A great portion of that wealth to one, a substantial but smaller portion to another, and a smaller portion but still significant to the third. Why would the king do this? Because the king will not place a responsibility greater than his servants can bear on their shoulders. But if a servant can bear great things, he will be trusted with great things. And so that servant who is capable of managing the ten is given ten because that is what he can do. That one who is not so capable but is still very good and very responsible is given five because he would be overwhelmed with ten. That is a trust that's too great. But he is still able to manage a great trust. And then there is the last one. And note the mercy, note the mercy on the part of the ruler. You would be overcome by ten. You are not yet ready for five. You are not as mature. You are not as skilled. But I still see something great and good in you. And so I give you something substantial to use on my behalf. Note how powerful that is. Because the temptation for many when they read this story is like, "Oh, that poor guy who only got one, he mustn't be..." That is not what this is about. This is about the fact that everyone is capable of something. Everyone is trusted with something great. Not something trivial. Not something small. And what all of those servants should be feeling as this is given to them is in fact a certain amount of nervousness because the trust is great. But they should also learn to recognize, "I have been trusted with something great. I have been trusted with something great." And that means that my Lord sees something good, even great perhaps in me. This is why in No Small Measure our reading today is twinned with that passage from St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians. God chose the weak of the world, the foolish of the world, the lowly who count for nothing in the world. He chose them to do something. And why? Because when we write someone off as foolish, we say you have nothing to offer. When we write someone off as merely weak, we say you can't do anything. When someone is written off as dot mattering at all, the implication is there is nothing you bring that we value. So now note the aggressiveness of St. Paul's statement. That attitude gets it wrong and the Lord flips it on its head because he's not interested in what the world thinks as strength. He's not interested in what the world says is important and matters. He's not interested in currying the friendship and trusting the responsibility of a relative handful of those the world says are wise, strong, and capable. He's not interested. The Lord expects something from everybody, especially the weak, especially the foolish, especially those who don't matter because it's often that the Lord hides his greatest gifts in their lives. Paul writes that way to remind the church and Corinth, be very careful you don't have that craven, cringing spirit of that third servant in your heart. That craven, cringing spirit that says, oh my God, what if I get this wrong? I'm not as good as the other guys. I can't do what they do. But the Lord doesn't care whether he can do what they do. He cares that he does what he can do. He cares that he uses what he's been given. But it's so easy to make that excuse. Who am I? I'm not important. I'm nobody. What can I offer? What difference can I make? What good can I do? I'm the one who needs to be healed. I'm the one who needs to be lifted. Well, yeah, that's true. But that doesn't mean there's nothing there, nothing to offer. What a powerful, powerful message this is. And the Lord tells it with a certain sharpness as we come to the end of this accounting. Finally, the Lord comes back. And the first servant comes forward, given great trust. He lives in a way that rises to that trust. He uses what he has been given and in using that gift brings an increase to the gift. This is the other spiritual reality here. We pray all the time, oh Lord, increase your gifts in our lives. And the Lord is sitting there saying, I will when you use them. I will when you put them to work, if you want it to grow, you've got to do something with it. Please Lord, increase my faith and then I'll move. The Lord's going to say, no, that's not how this works. Use your faith and it will grow. But if you're just going to sit and say, I don't have enough, you're never going to move. You'll be no different than that third servant. And so it is the second one comes forward. And again, trust it with great things. He lives and acts in a way that is worthy of that trust. You've given me this Lord, and this is what I've done for you. And by using what you've given me well, note the increase that is here for you. And note that they do this not for themselves, but for the Lord who has trusted them so greatly. I have put these talents to work, not for me, but for you. I have taken what you've given me and I never looked at it and said, this is mine. I looked at it and said, this is my responsibility. And so I lived and used all of these things toward you and for you because I only have them from you. And so it is that the third one comes forward. You know, I'm sorry, Lord, but I was really afraid. I'm insecure. I'm anxious. I didn't want to get this wrong. I didn't want to make you mad. And so I hid everything, but I didn't lose anything. I didn't lose a dime. And it's this cringing attitude that upsets the master. I'd have rather you tried and lost than bury it and gain nothing. The simple fact of the matter is when you bury your goodness, when you hide what I have given you, when you deny the fact that you need to do something with it, you do lose. You do lose. The gift loses its value. This is why the Lord says, you could have at least done something. You could have put it in the bank. And then at least it would have its value today. But you did lose. You lost by not increasing it at all, by not trying at all. This false notion that we have, that if I just keep it okay, everything will be fine is a dangerous attitude. Sooner or later, the spiritual life requires a holy degree of initiative. And why? Because in the end, the Lord is not simply talking about abilities or potentials or gifts. He's talking about that great and fundamental gift of the life that He has placed in our hands. Your life is not your own. Obsolve yourself of that idea. My life is not my own. I didn't buy it. I didn't earn it. I didn't achieve it. It is not an acquisition that is the reward for my hard work. It was given to me. Everyone receives life as a gift, as a trust. Everyone. It's given to me as a trust and I am accountable for it. If my life was merely my own, I'm not accountable to it, to anybody for it. But that's not the truth. In the end, every one of us, given life by God, given new life by the gift and grace of holy baptism, every one of us will have to stand before that Lord who has given such an infinite treasure to us. And the question is not going to be, were you good or were you bad? So much is going to be what did you do with that great gift of your very self that I gave you. That's a sobering reality and yet a beautiful one. A beautiful one that reminds us there is no one whose life cannot be significant, whose life is not significant. But that significance comes when we recognize that we have it out of the love and the trust of the giver of all good gifts. And that should spur us to a joyful manner of living, that we have been entrusted with something so wonderful. And how good it is that we can reflect on those things right here, because in just a few minutes on this altar, that same Jesus Christ is going to be here. And in a very real way, it's the master coming back from the journey, not his ultimate return, but he is here. And as he is on that altar, he looks out and he does ask the question, my friend, my friend, I've given you so much. What have you been doing with it? What are you going to do with it? I've given you so much. And note, this is not the final time he will ask that question. This is that gentle reminder in the middle of life. Remember what you really need to be about. Remember who you really are. And then just when we might be thinking, oh my God, I've so got this wrong. Oh my God, I've messed this up completely. What does he do? He comes off of this altar. And he comes right here and he waits for you to come forward. And you're going to open your mouth or you're going to stretch out your hand. And he's going to trust you with an infinite treasure, not talents, not gifts, not graces, but himself. Whether you think of yourself as the person who gets the 10, the five, or the one, or even if you say, I don't even know that I could navigate the one. Notice? It doesn't matter. You come forward. He gives you himself. Nobody here gets more Jesus than anybody else. That's not the way it works. Note how wonderful that is and why receiving this great gift of himself, we also are reminded who we really are. Created, redeemed, claimed, and gifted, not just to receive his goodness, but to live and even be his goodness in the world. And what could be greater than that? Amen.