Matthew 25:14-30
Use Your Talents 
by Rev. Richard A. Miserendino
Reprinted by permission of "The Arlington Catholic Herald"

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Matthew wrote to show that Christ was the
Messiah and fulfilled the Jewish prophecies.

"It will be as when a man who was 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 bring 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.'"

As we consider the liturgical year, the readings at each Mass turn toward the "end times" and give needed advice for preparing to meet our maker.  Thus, in the parable from today's Gospel (Mt 25:14-30), Jesus reiterates the facts:

A master departs :(like Christ ascending to heaven) and leaves his servants (us baptized believers) in charge of his possessions (the church and indeed the entire world).  To administer to this, he leaves the servants talents in proportion to their ability (gifts of the Holy spirit, natural talents, physical wealth, family members etc.  The talents really can be a stand-in for any sort of positive thing we've received by providence.)  At the end, when the master returns, there will be an accounting.  How did we invest those talents for the care of the master's possessions (second coming and judgment day)?

It can be tempting to start navel-gazing and wonder how many talents we've been given, and why some people get more and others seemingly less.  Five-talent saints do exist, thanks be to God.  We have a process of canonization to recognize them.  Yet, most of us also realize we're not five-talent saints.  Truth be told, we're probably not one-talent saints, either.  We're probably more like the guy with two talents.  Not a one-trick-pony, nor a five-trick-pony, but somewhere in between.

However, further musing along these lines simply won't do.  In the end, it doesn't matter about the number of talents we've been given.  That's not the point.  The point is what we do with them in life, and that's precisely where the nerves can set in.  After all, most people reading this column likely realize we've been given great gifts by God.  But then how do we invest them?  In the parable, everything seems to come up roses for the five- and two-talent guys, their investments yielding double.  In fact, it's only the guy who buries his talent that gets a negative return.

Knowing ourselves, though, we're not always the best at discerning a winning or profitable cause.  What, we wonder, would be the result if we traded and invested our talents for what we thought was a great investment and lost them?  What would the Master say then?  Sure, we're not dumb or proud enough to bury our talents, but some good-seeming causes turn out about as well as a hole in the ground.  Some projects or causes begin with the best of intentions but end up being quixotic escapades.  When inventing ourselves, how then do we make sure it's a holy cause and not a hole-y one?

It seems striking that these possibilities are not handled in the parable, but that's part of the point and the promise.  The investments made by the good servants are made in a spirit of prudence and good faith to the master's wishes, and that is what counts.  We too are called to be prudent (discerning and street smart) and act in good faith.  The implicit promise is that, if we do due diligence and act in good faith, God's providence will take care of the rest and yield the profit.  Certainly, we're supposed to try our best to make good investments with our talents, but it's the discernment and fidelity that is ultimately pleasing to God and that ultimately bears fruit in grace.  Every saint and martyr has known this: work that so often looks unsuccessful to the eyes of the world reaps a windfall in due time.  After all, the cross of Christ is the rule, not the exception.

What does this sort of investment look like practically?  Like continuing to pray for the fallen-away family member we're tempted to to think a lost cause.  Like forming a habit of prayer each day even if the good and holy feelings aren't there.  Like standing up for the "hard sayings" and truths of our faith when all the world seems against them.  This and much more.  It's investments like these that take us two-talent servants and make us into multi-talent saints and better still, friends of God.