Year A: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 25: 14-30 

The Gospel today offers another of the parables that Jesus told to concentrate the minds of His listeners on the seriousness of the Kingdom and of the judgement at the end of time. Today, he emphasises the accountability of the disciples for the gifts entrusted to them.

A man is going abroad and entrusts some of his possessions to his servants. He is aware that they have different abilities - and so only gives to each one what he thinks they can manage: one receives five talents - another two and another one.

The servants deal differently with the money entrusted to them - two use it to start dealing and make money - the third chooses to hide his talent.

When the master returns, the servants come before him. The servants with five and two talents have doubled their money and the master is justifiably pleased with them.

The servant with one still has only one and claims that it was fear that held him back... he was so afraid of losing the one talent that he hid it. This is an inadequate explanation - since, as the master points out, if he was so afraid, why did he not just deposit the money in the bank?

Again, Jesus sounds harsh in his judgement of those who are inadequate - or who make simple errors of judgement - but the exaggeration emphasises the seriousness with which He takes the situation.

The servant with one talent is not punished just for failing to use it wisely - but for failing to think about how best to use it. It has not been given to him to hide - but to use.

The same applies to our own gifts and talents. To some great gifts seem to be given - but however great or small they are given for the building of the Kingdom. By using them as well as we can, we will be able to offer them back to God at the end of time - and also able to offer the fruits that have been borne through them.

God’s investment in us grows when we use the gifts in His service. 

What does it mean for me?

What gifts has God entrusted to you? How have you increased them? How can you increase their “profitability” in the future?

Text © 2007 Wellspring

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