Gospel Mt 25:14-30
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. 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
bringing 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.'”
Homily
I have told the story before of an accountant who was blacklisted because he would not cook the books of his employer. Because of his refusal to participate in the illegalities and corruption of his employer he was literally thrown into the darkness without any means of gaining employment commensurate with his qualifications. Eventually he had to leave the country to seek employment elsewhere. Many persons thought that he was rather stupid, after all cooking the books and defrauding the government is a common practice and why put oneself in a situation in which one cannot get work? Was this accountant really thinking of his family? As someone said to me, one cannot be too idealistic in this world.
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As I read the gospel reading for this weekend I remembered that story because this Gospel passage also deals with such a situation. Putting ourselves in the position of those who were hearing this story, the rich man would have been considered an exploiter of the poor. In fact that is what he is called by the third servant; ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter;” Also according to the financial realities of that time it would have been impossible to double one’s investment honestly. This is what the first two servants did; “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.” What the Gospel passage seems to be telling us is that between the rich man and his two servants we have a group of persons who have become rich by exploiting others and that they ensure that the gap between rich and poor is increased; “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.”
The third servant on the other hand refuses to get involved in the rich man’s skullduggery. He refuses to put the money into the bank because the law frowned on usury. Because of this attitude he is pilloried and thrown out. “’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?[…] And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'”
What then is the story trying to tell us? I believe it is that at times Christian living demands choices which go against the prevailing thinking and ways of acting. Many of the great saints whom we venerate all made those choices (eg. St. Thomas Moore) The age of martyrs is testimony of the many simple persons who made those choices. The accountant whose story I related at the beginning of this homily made that choice. All who made that choice made it secure in the belief and hope that this life is not the end, that there is something much larger and Someone who awaits us. May we all have that faith and hope so that our choices will be choices after the heart of God.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we pray for the gift of the Spirit, the Spirit who gives us the wisdom to understand that there is another far more important life after this one and that our future depends on the choices which we make now. Give us the wisdom to make the correct choices and the courage and strength to carry them out. We make this prayer through the intercession of Mary our mother and Jesus your son. Amen
