Making the best use of what God has given to us

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

November 13, 2011

Like the gospel of last Sunday- the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus, in today’s gospel taken from Matthew 25:14-30 again uses an earthly story familiar to people to teach an eschatological reality. Last Sunday, it was the parable of the ten virgins, today, it is the parable of the talents. 

A master was about to embark on a journey. Before he left, he called in his three servants and entrusted his wealth on them. To the first servant, he gave five talents (one talent was roughly the equivalent of 15 years wages for the average worker, so he gave the first servant 75 years wages of an average worker). To the second servant he gave two talents (which is 30 years wages for an average worker), and to the third servant, he gave one talent (that is, 15 years wages). The master cannot be accused of being unjust in the distribution of his wealth to his servants because he did so according to each of the servants’ ability. 

Now as soon as he left, the servant entrusted with five talents invested it and made five more. The servant entrusted with two talents also invested his and made two more. But the servant entrusted with one talent did nothing with his, instead he dug a hole and buried his master’s money. After a long time, their master returned from his journey, and the moment of reckoning was at hand. The master was pleased with the first and the second servants because they made the best use of what was given to them and made extra gains. In excitement, the master declared to each of them, “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.” To the last servant who did nothing with what was given to him instead insulted his master in the following words, “I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter...” the master condemned him for burying his talent and for not, at least putting his money in the bank which could have yielded some profits. The little he had was taken away from him. He was called a useless servant and was thrown into the darkness where there will be nothing but misery and grief. 

Through this parable, Jesus teaches us that no person is born without any talent. God endows every man and woman some talents. But he gives each man and woman different gifts according to our abilities. In the parable, one servant was given five talents, another one was given two, yet another one was given one talent. To Jesus, what matters is not how much talent a person possesses, but how the person uses it. God does not expect from us abilities which he has not given to us; but he expects us to make best use of whatever talents or abilities he has given to us. Whatever talent we have, whether it is great or little, we should use them at the service of God and humanity. 

From the parable of the talents, our Lord Jesus also tells us that being rewarded for hard work does not mean we should stop working hard. The two servants who did well with the talents entrusted to them by their master were not told to rest on their oars. The master rather told them, “...since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.” Church, reward from one hard work should spur us to work even harder. We should not rest on past achievements and success. The Lord wants us to continue to work hard, to continue to put into use all the talents that God has given to us. Use those talents in the service of God and in the service of humanity. And when talents are best used in those two dimensions, they become no longer talents, but gifts. Those who would be repudiated are those who refuse to try. Talents are given for use, and not to be hidden or horde. The third servant who was given one talent did not really loose his talent, he simply did nothing with it. If he had tried to make use of the talent given to him, and in the process lost it, it would have been better than doing nothing. God prefers those who sincerely make effort to love and serve him, even if they fall short sometimes, to those who never make any effort to love him. 

In this parable, Jesus says something that is usually misinterpreted: “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.” Sometimes this text is interpreted as taken from the little of the poor and given more and more to the rich so that they can become richer. That’s not what Jesus is saying. More will only be given to those who use their talents in the service of God and humanity. More will be given to those who turn their talents into gifts. More will be given to those who give back to the society from where they got all they have so that they can in turn give more, not to horde more. Because they are using all they have in the service of God and humanity, more will be given to them. The rich who accumulate and horde without giving back will not receive more of the Lord‘s peace, happiness and ultimately salvation because their greed and selfishness tell of their lack of charity and love. And where love and charity abide, there God is found.   

God has given each of us Talent, Time, and Treasure. Are we making the best use of them?