33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 19, 2023

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What are you willing to risk for God?

Matthew 25:14–30

[The Parable of the Talents]

“It will be as when a man who was 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.’”

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names.
Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are.
I need to be led by you.
I need my heart to be moved by you.
I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you.
I need the world to be saved and changed by you.
I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow.
I need you for all the crazy people.
I need your healing hand to work always in my life.
I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a healer, a comforter, a savior.
I need you to name the dead.
I need you to help the dying cross their particular rivers.
I need you for myself whether I live or die.
It is necessary.
Amen.

We ask you, God, to give us the courage to go beyond our normal boundaries and be more open to your plans for us and those around us.

Companions for the Journey

From “First Impressions” 2023, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

Today’s parable is of a rich man going on a long journey who entrusts his servants with money, according to each one’s ability. They are not to be idle while the master is gone. The money left them was an enormous amount. The “talent” was a coin of the highest denomination: think millions of dollars. The master did not leave instructions to the servants. He presumes they will know what they are to do with the money he has left them.

The banking system in Jerusalem offered excellent rates of interest to merchants who entrusted their money it. The Romans had made trade routes safe from pirates and thieves, so trade was profitable. The third servant, afraid and cautious, didn’t have to bury what was given to him. The banks would have been a safe place to put the money, so the master had reason to be upset. The servant should have put the money in the bank where, at least, it would have earned interest. He was harsh on the third servant and takes away any trust he initially had in him.

Jesus told this parable to his disciples and may have used it to condemn those Jewish religious authorities who were like the third servant. They may have kept the tradition that was entrusted to them pure and secure. But, when Jesus came, they were not open to the new situation and circumstances he presented. They refused to hear his message and take it to heart. Were they afraid to take a chance on him?

Jesus is continuing the theme of preparedness he began in last Sunday’s gospel (Mt 25:1-13). Remember the delay of the bridegroom: the virgins were waiting for the one who would bring all things to conclusion. This week’s parable focuses on how disciples use their time waiting for the one who has promised to return. Notice the trust the master has in his servants. He gave each of them a significant amount and left it up to them to know what to do with it.

The man returns and the behavior of the third servant underlines the importance of preparedness and initiative. He tries to justify his failure to earn a profit by saying he was intimidated by the master’s demanding reputation. The servant is called “wicked and lazy” and his master takes the one talent he has away from him. Despite his safe and fearful behavior the servant winds up with nothing. We may be waiting for the Lord’s return, but we are not to be passive, or inactive, because we fear engagement with the world. Playing it safe does not get rewarded in our parable.

Matthew was writing for a church in the 80’s. They were learning the lesson of the parable: how to wait wisely for the Lord. The religious authorities were supposed to be guides for the people, but they had buried the truth to keep it “pure”; not open to the new ideas Jesus was preaching. In effect, they were destroying the treasure God had entrusted to them. The parable is an attempt to wake the disciples to the urgency of the moment Jesus was placing before them. Note that the parable has been called a “crisis parable.”

It also speaks to us: “Wake up and see the opportunity God is presenting to you this day.” Responding to what Jesus asks of us may take risk. Like speaking up when a person, or people, are abused; resisting the allure of money and its false promises; staying the course, even when we are tempted to give up on our church; not giving into compromise at work, or school; staying by the side of a needy family member, etc..

The Lord has left us with the promise of his return. Meanwhile, he has given us gifts, or “charisms”, to use for the benefit of the community. Using these gifts can be risky; we may face persecution, isolation, even death, or just chilled rejection. We cannot “play it safe” like the third servant, fearing negative possibilities, letting those gifts be unused, or underused.

Haven’t we known people who are like the first, or second servant? They seem to have a focus and energy that has helped them respond to God’s grace by using their talents wisely and for the benefit of others. I know of a lawyer who gave up her profitable career to be a legal advocate for the poor. She seems tireless, hardly resting, but joyful. She has discovered a treasure that she wants to use for the benefit of others. She is also like the “ideal wife” in today’s Proverbs reading, using her time in a responsible and altruistic way to serve others.

How did things between God and us begin? They began at creation and continue with God generously bestowing gifts upon us to be used serving God throughout history. We are partners with God for the good both now and into the future.

The servants were trusted to use their own ingenuity and energy, one might even say boldness in their use of the funds. Being faithful is not a fixed state of life. The parable urges energy and risk. Perhaps we know what we should do, what changes we need to make, but are not doing it, not risking leaving a comfortable napping place to face what is asked of us these days.

At this Eucharist we hesitant disciples pray for wisdom, direction and boldness to be disciples living this parable — a “parabolic people.” Think of the generosity our God revealed from the beginning of the Scriptures. We can trust that God will extend a hand towards us to give what we need to live this parable as good and faithful stewards.

Further reflection:

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Well done, my good and faithful servant

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • List some gifts or “talents” you have. Do you consider them to have been given or to have been lent?
    What is the difference?
    Do you use your talents for your own aggrandizement and success, or do you put them at the disposal of those who need help in some way?
  • If you were told to lay your biggest accomplishment thus far before God, what would it be?
    What does this tell you about yourself?
  • This parable might not be about some specific talents we might use for God. It might be about committing all that we have. Is there anything I am holding back out of fear, greed, selfishness?
    Are there people in our community who are giving way more than is expected of them?
  • What is God’s “property” that has been entrusted to me—the natural world itself, my loved ones, the poor and downtrodden, my career, for example?
    Are the talents I have been loaned by God for this life His property or mine?
  • Why do you think the master rewards the man with two talents the same as the man with five talents?
  • What does it mean to “reap what you do not sow” and “gather where you did not scatter seed”?”
    The master is also willing to earn money at the expense of others… does this sound like God to you?
    In your mind is Jesus more like the exacting master or more like a shepherd?
  • What was the final servant’s motive for being so cautious?
    Did he see his job as basically to do the master’s bidding, or something else?
  • In what ways am I too tentative or too cautious in working for the kingdom?
    In what ways do I bury my “talent” so that it doesn’t get in the way of my real life?
    Am I risk-averse?
  • Have I been so preoccupied with my own life (family, fears, health, relationships, money, etc) that I lost track of my mission on this earth?
  • We think of talents as natural gifts, but in this time and in this parable, it means something of value. Could one’s reputation be a “talent”?
  • We speak of gifts of the Spirit (Charisms). How might these be talents?
  • Do I see the word “talents” as opportunities God has given me?
    For what purpose?
    Have I seen any opportunities that have come my way to enhance the Kingdom?
  • Are these opportunities always recognized, or always welcomed?
    Can bad luck be an opportunity?
    Do I control my opportunities or does God?
  • Do I sense any urgency in the choices I make?
  • Do the talents I possess make me careless or arrogant?
    What “talents” have I been given to use for the good of God’s kingdom?
    What, in fact IS my true vocation?
  • If the word “talent” were a metaphor for the servant’s true vocation and he buried it so no one could see it, how might that relate to my own life?
  • We are either trading with our talents or burying them in the ground. What do I chose?
  • Have I ever kept some of what I have been entrusted with as something for my own gain, my own use?
  • What, exactly, is the “joy” we are promised? (Satisfaction, good luck, success, feeling of a mission accomplished, etc.)
  • By Jude Siciliano, O.P.:
    Do I treat my faith as something fragile, keeping it close and protected as if it will break if brought out into the open?
    In my daily life, how venturesome before others am I with my faith?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Read Psalm 112:

1Alleluia!
Blessed the man who fears the Lord, who takes great delight in his commandments.
2His descendants shall be powerful on earth; the generation of the upright will be blest.
3Riches and wealth are in his house; his justice stands firm forever.
4A light rises in the darkness for the upright; he is generous, merciful, and just.
5It goes well for the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.
6He will never be moved; forever shall the just be remembered.
7He has no fear of evil news; with a firm heart, he trusts in the Lord.
8With a steadfast heart he will not fear; he will see the downfall of his foes.
9Openhanded, he gives to the poor; his justice stands firm forever. His might shall be exalted in glory.
10The wicked sees and is angry, grinds his teeth and fades away; the desire of the wicked leads to doom.

Compare the behavior that is the outcome of fear of the Lord in this psalm with the behavior of the last servant in the parable of the talents. Here are two different meanings of the word “fear”. In many ways, these differing attitudes are the result of how I think of God: Am I visioning a God who asks me to risk wildly for the sake of the kingdom, or am I visioning a God who is primarily the judge who tallies up my sins? My answer also depends on my culture, my personality, and my worldview: If I see the world as a treacherous place luring me into sin, and if I would prefer not to risk making mistakes, I have one view. On the other hand, if I see the world as full of opportunities to grow personally and opportunities to make a difference, if I think it is a failure never to risk failure by stretching myself, then I have another view.

When you think of your relationship with God, which of these meanings fits your own personal behavior? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

I imagine that I am on the three-person finance team of a very wealthy investor. He is about to leave the country, sailing around the world on a sabbatical. He is a tough and exacting boss, and it is surprising that he says he does not want to be disturbed on this sabbatical for anything but the most dire emergency. Depending on our seniority, he gives us each a portion of his portfolio to manage while he is away. I am the most junior, so I get the least. Less responsibility for me, I think. The three of us are more often rivals than colleagues, so it is no wonder that we do not consult with one another about our investing choices. I really am afraid of losing my job, and want to be sure I do not lose any of my boss’s money, so I simply leave it in a savings account. In that way the FDIC will cover any losses that the bank incurs up to $250,000. The interest is almost nothing, but the risk is non-existent—especially since my boss only gave me about $250,000 to work with. While the boss is gone, the market has endured ups and downs, and I wonder what the others have done. I eventually learn that one of the team put the share he was entrusted with into an investment portfolio with medium risk, and the other put his into a real estate investment. When the master returns, I realize how much more the other investments made compared to mine, but expect to be thanked for not risking my boss’s money. Well, as you might guess, I was fired for my timidity and I still wonder why. What would have happened if the others lost their boss’s money?

In this story I can see myself on one of the three members of the finance team, except that the “portfolio” I have been given are my talents, my education, my situation in life, my place in the community and the Church. Am I a risk-taker; do I sometimes act without thinking of negative consequences? Or am I so risk-averse that I coast along, expecting the minimum out of life and not making any waves, even if I am confronted with evil? Do I look over my shoulder, worried that others are catching up to me in the race for spiritual perfection? Am I proactive or reactive? What, exactly, are the motives behind the choices I make in my family, at work or in the larger culture I inhabit? I look at what risks I am willing to take for the sake of my own soul, but especially for the good of the Kingdom here on earth. What have I risked for those I love? What have I gained or lost? What have I risked for God?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

This parable is more than an exhortation to use well our qualities. It is about the kingdom, which has been entrusted to the disciples and thence to us, as Jesus embarked on his journey away from earthly life. When Jesus returns, he will expect his servants to have put to work the riches he has entrusted to us. How has the Catholic Church done in this regard? What events or people, especially, have mirrored the mission of growing the Kingdom? What events or people have not? In our own individual lives, we have inherited this command from Jesus. How do I interpret this commission Jesus left me with? What actions are required of me in this world here and now? When my master comes for me, how will I answer?

Poetic Reflection:

How does this poem by Thomas Centollela, a former Stanford Stegner Fellow, capture the urgency of this parable’s message?

“Big Rec”

A few hours spent in the dry rooms of the dying
Then the walk home, the sudden rain
Comes hard, and you want it coming hard,
You want it hitting you in the forehead
Like anointment, blessing all the days
That otherwise would be dismissed
As business as usual. Now you’re ready
To lean upon the rail above the empty diamonds
Where, in the summer, the ballplayers wait patiently
For one true moment more alive than all the rest.
Now you’re ready for the ancient religion of dogs,
That unleashed romp through the wildness, responding
To no one’s liturgy but the field’s and the rain’s.
You’ve come this far, but you need to live further in.
You need to slip into the blind man awhile,
Tap along with his cane past the market stalls
And take in, as if they were abandoned,
The little blue crabs which in an hour will be eaten.
You have to become large enough to accommodate
All the small lives that otherwise would be forgotten.
You have to raise yourself to the power of ten.
Love more, require less, love without regard
For form. You have to live further in.

–Thomas Centollela, from Lights and Mysteries

Closing Prayer

From Ray Stedman, a well-known 20th century Christian preacher:

Lord Jesus, have I ventured anything for you? Have I risked my life for your sake? Or have I but transferred my ambition from the world of business or sport to the world of religion, still busy seeking self-aggrandizement, self-exaltation? Lord, teach me to risk, to abandon, to cast away what would minister only to myself and mine. For your name’s sake. Amen.