What I am willing to risk

I do not exactly remember when it started but at some point in the past couple of years, the person at the end of the mass who reads the announcements reminds us to be good stewards of our time, talent, and treasures.

We are greeted in today’s Gospel reading with the Parable of the Talents:

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man 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.”

Jesus describes that the first two servants recognized their good fortune from their master and immediately doubled their talents (talents were a type of coin in the time of Jesus).  The third servant buried his talent because he is afraid of his demanding master.

Parable of the Talents - Image via Wikipedia

The master returns and learns that each of the first two servants doubled his money.  He rewards both of them with “great responsibility”.  The third servant is chastised:

His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
…
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.

This parable came up earlier in a daily reading (in the summer) and it was the first time I studied this parable.  At this time, I did not understand why the master was angry with the third servant.  I was taking the side of the servant when he said:

Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;

I thought that the first two servants were in cahoots with the master – providing more wealth to him in his wickedness.  This is why I am grateful for the Magisterium of the Church because I sometimes get hung up on a literal interpretation of scripture that takes me away from the point of the story.

Fortunately, in today’s homily at mass, Deacon John explained that this parable is about three things:

1. Stewardship – the master entrusted all three servants with an amount of money, according to their ability.  He did not give them specific instructions on how they should oversee his treasure.
2. Courage – the first two servants recognized they gift or opportunity given to them by their master.  They both took a risk and it required courage, especially since their master was known to be demanding.
3. Reward – The master rewarded the first two servants for their stewardship with “great responsibilities” since they were faithful in a small matter of a few coins.

Unlike the first two servants, the third one did nothing with the treasure he received from his master.

“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.”

Surely harsh punishment for the third servant.  As Deacon John put it today:  ”Who would you rather be?  One of the first two servants or the third?”

I know understand that Jesus was speaking not literally in the growth of riches of the master and the rewards of his two faithful servants.  He was speaking figuratively – about our spiritual treasure and our possible reward in heaven.

When I think about the gifts given to me – my talents – I only recently began to understand them as gifts and I am simple the empowered to use them to glorify God.  In my opinion, I have made a sorry use of many of them, mostly helping to fuel my ego and improve my own stature in my career.  I know understand that my talents are best directed to the spiritual health of my family, my community and myself.  For this is truly being a faithful servant to my master.

The question for me (and all faithful Christians) is to determine how best to use our treasure, time and talent.

Since my vocation is marriage, I am obliged to be a faithful disciple, husband, and father – in that order.  Were I to achieve these things, I would be considered a good man but I would be like the third servant – I would have squandered my gift by burying it in the ground.  I would have taken the safe route because I would have allowed my fear to control me and been unwilling to risk that comfort of being a good man.

I pray for guidance each day to learn what risks I am to take to honor God.  Through daily prayer and reflection, I hope that the Holy Spirit guides so that I am not simply a good man, but a courageous leader of my family before the eyes of God.

Today’s notes

• I definitely recommend the film: Courageous!  5 stars
• Today is the feastday of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.
• Watch a video reflection on today’s scripture readings.
• Pray the Rosary! Today are the Glorious Mysteries!
• Follow me on Twitter: @cinhosa

Related articles

• The Parable of the Talents (cmcsarchchicago.wordpress.com)
• The Parable of the Talents (withallthesaints.wordpress.com)
• Homily for the thirty-third Sunday of the Year – 11-13-11 (deaconjohnspace.wordpress.com)
• Don’t Bury Your Talent (ministerioinfantilusa.com)
• You’ve got talents. Now what? (insightscoop.typepad.com)
• Stewardship……a Way of Life (olmcsunbury.wordpress.com)