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November 13, 2020This Sunday the Church proclaims the parable of the talents. A talent in the time of Jesus was monetary unit worth 15-20 years of wages. At $50,000 a year, that would be around $1 million. A person who is given $5 million to invest would have great opportunities. Even $1 million would be great. In the parable, the people give the most talents invested them and doubled their talents. However, the person with only 1 buried it. He did not invest it. His talent was taken from him and he was thrown out into the darkness or hell.
God gives each of us talents. Some people are wildly talented – they hit the genetic lottery. Others, it seems, have few talents. Regardless, talents are unmerited gifts from our creator. None of us chose which talents we would get or how many. However, we are responsible to God to develop them, to invest them, for the benefit of all people and the glory of God. If we develop our talents, we typically discover that we have other talents and those develop as well. If we don’t we lose even the few talents that we had.
Laziness is an option but its reward is hell. God has not made us for that. Rather, God wants us to be like the worthy wife of Proverbs 31 (our first reading). She works with loving hands in her home and cares for the poor. She fears the Lord and is to be praised. Whether you won the genetic lottery or feel like you have few talents, you have been given amazing, unmerited gifts. Do you give thanks for those talents? Do you develop them for the good of all and the glory of God?