How are you using your talents?
At Mass today, you will hear the Gospel parable from Matthew 22 of the man who received five talents (gold coins) from his master:
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.
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.'"
The rest of the story tells us that the servant who only received one talent buried it in the ground, and then returned it to the master. This made the master furious, since the servant didn’t even put it in the bank to earn interest.
This isn’t a parable about good banking practices, of course. It is an example of using the gifts that God gave us. ‘Talent’ was the ancient word for a valuable piece of money. Today, it is the word for a skill or gift.
God gives everyone different talents. Some seem to receive many, like the man in the parable who was given five. Other people may only recognize one special talent, like the other servant in the story. Clearly, God does not care how many talents each person has. He cares how we use them.
The man who invested his five talents and turned them into ten found a way to increase his gift and share it with others. The one who buried his literally hid his talent from the world, refusing to tell anyone about it. No wonder the master was disappointed with this servant!
This Gospel reading gets very personal. What are the gifts and talents God has given you? And, more importantly… how are you using them to help others???
God bless,
Lizann
Contributor for the Christian Catholic Shop
Lizann is a Catholic military wife and mother who loves to share about her faith. Read more from Lizann and our other contributors on the Christian Catholic Shop blog.
