Are you Investing Your Talent or Burying it?
Prov 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; 1 Thes 5:1-6; Mat 25:14-15, 19-21
Fr. Nelson Lobo OFM Cap
Introduction: What is the most famous parable that Jesus ever told? I think it could be the Parable of the Prodigal Son. What is the most touching parable that Jesus ever told? I think it could be the Parable of the Good Shepherd & the Lost Sheep. What is the most comforting story for the helpless? I think it could be the Lazarus & the Rich Man. What is the most practical parable Jesus ever told? What parable applies more to how we live our lives today, & how God acts & reacts to us, & how we act & react to Him? I think it could be the parable of talents in Matthew 25:14-30. So, let’s reflect on this parable which is todays Gospel.
There are many good people, nice people with lot of talent for God’s kingdom. The only thing is they never move from potentiality to productivity. They many times behave like the great car that looks good, the motor sounds impressive, the lights radio and horn are all in working condition, it has brand new tyres, but the transmission is stuck in the neutral, it is not going anywhere. The third servant in the parable behaves the same way. He had the talent, he had the blessing of the master, he had the opportunity, he had the potential but never moved over to productivity.
It’s a tough parable, isn’t it? I think that most of us would identify with this 1-talent man than with the 5-talent or 2-talent man. The 1-talent man was just an ordinary person, a lot like us. He did something that wasn’t all that smart. But he didn’t steal it or embezzle it. He just didn’t invest it. Then when the master returned, he presented it back to Him just the way that he had received it. But why? What was his problem? WHY DID THE 1-TALENT MAN DO WHAT HE DID?
Someone said he did what he did because he felt inferior. When you’re rubbing shoulders with 5-talent & 2-talent people, & you watch them rubbing shoulders with other 5-talent & 2-talent people, & then you look at yourself, it is easy to begin to feel inferior. When you see people doing things with grace & ease, & you have to struggle just to do those things, it’s easy to identify yourself as a 1-talent person. There was nothing really special about him. He didn’t stand out in the crowd. He was an average person, just like us. So, he felt inferior.
Let me ask you some hypothetical questions. “What if the 5-talent man had buried his 5 talents in the ground?” Off course! They would have all been taken away from him, & he would have been considered “wicked, lazy, worthless,” just like the 1-talent man. Or what if the 1-talent man had invested his 1 talent? You know the answer. When the master returned, he would have been given more talents. He would have been considered a faithful servant, too.
Let me ask another hypothetical question. “What if the 1-talent man had invested his talent & lost it?” But that idea isn’t even suggested. Why? Because God’s Word, as best I can ascertain, never commands us to be successful but to be faithful. That’s what Mother Teresa always said: “we are not called to be successful but to be faithful”. Nowhere in the bible God says, “If you try & fail, I will condemn you.”
There are hundreds of parishes across Europe that at one time were 5-talent parishes. But they buried their talents & now they are empty. There are thousands of Christians (may be millions) who reached a level of maturity in their Christian faith & then became self-satisfied & complacent. They decided they didn’t need to grow anymore, or pray anymore, or study anymore. And they started dying spiritually because they buried their talents. Therefore, todays gospel reading comes as a caution. We Christians must cultivate an attitude like Martha Berry.
Story: Martha Berry was a lady with a vision to help children. She began a school for poor children. She had no books, no building and no money. But she had a dream. She went to Henry Ford to ask for a donation. Mr. Ford reached into his pocket gave Martha Berry a dime. Most people would have been insulted, here he is a multi-millionaire and all he could give was a dime. But Martha took that dime and bought a packet of seeds and planted a garden, raised a crop, sold it and bought more seeds. After three or four harvest she had enough money to purchase an old building for the children. She returned to Mr. Ford and said, “Look what your dime has done.” The man was so impressed that he donated a million dollars to Berry School.
Do you act like the one talent guy or do you act like Martha Berry? Is your church/parish behaving like the one talent guy or like Martha Berry? When God blesses us with talents God has certain expectations from us. If we meet up with His expectations as today’s gospel tells us He will reward us.
God’s EXPECTATIONS:
Fruitfulness- It is not enough to be ‘faithful.’ Jesus expects us to be fruitful. In fact, He has promised to help us to do that if we abide in Him. (John 15:16). Faithfulness is not just showing up every Sunday. Jesus expects us to do what He asks (John 15:10). Are you merely coming to the church, or are you coming for worship? God expects you to get out there and take some risks in investing your gifts and talents.
God’s REWARDS:
The pleasure of hearing Jesus say, “Well done.” The honour of ruling with Christ. The invitation of entering into Christ’s joy.
Our EXCUSES:
- “God hasn’t given me any special gifts like others.” Many talk as if God didn’t give them any spiritual gifts. If only they had understood (Eph. 2:10; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Peter 4:10; Mat 25:14-30).
- “I can’t do much like others.”-Each one was given a different amount. God will not ask whether we did as much as the person sitting next to us, only what we did with what He entrusted to us.
- “God is asking too much.”- ‘reaping’ and ‘gathering’- Once Christians begin to read the Bible and see Jesus high expectations (e.g ‘Take up your cross. . .’), they feel ready to turn back because they think He’s asking too much of them.
Conclusion: God gives, & then He leaves us alone. He doesn’t coerce us. He gives, & then He leaves it in our hands. He does open doors of opportunity. He gives us visions & dreams. He allows us to see just a little bit of what might be. But then He waits for us to use what He has given, & to see if we will be faithful with it. He has equipped us for the call. He has blessed us for the service. He has given us the talent to use. What is He going to find on judgment day?
Jesus wants all of us to use the talents He has given us. Someone once said: “Work like you have no money. Love like you have never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching. Sing like nobody’s listening. Live like it’s Heaven on Earth”.
