Talents - Gifts of the new Kingdom
(Mt 25:14-30)
How can a community reveal God's presence? By valuing and emphasising the many facets of life, defending them, promoting them and rejoicing in them.
Why do some people grow and others do not? Why do those who progress less than others, especially on the 'religious' path, risk ruining themselves?
We all have strengths, passions, qualities and unique inclinations. Each of us receives gifts from those who have gone before us (even if only one) and can become involved in church services.
Everyone - even those who are normally excluded [such as Zacchaeus, in the parallel passage in Luke 19:1-10, 11-28] - has a wealth of incomparable resources that they can pass on for the enrichment of the community.
Matthew tells this parable because some Jewish converts in his community are finding it difficult to break free and evolve. Some are not flourishing at all, clinging to roles and devotions.
To put it bluntly, a competition arises among them concerning the importance of ecclesial roles [this is the true evangelical meaning of 'talents according to ability': v. 15].
These roles are also threatened by the arrival of converts from paganism, who are less intimidated and more relaxed than the Judaizing faithful (who are a bit like museum pieces).
The resulting stubbornness stiffens the internal atmosphere, accentuates difficulties in collaborating and exchanging gifts and resources, and enriching one another.
These are vain and competitive situations that we are familiar with.
We all receive some accent of the Kingdom, "goods" to be multiplied by transmitting, for example (here) the Word of God.
A unique gift, but not rare: immense prosperity and extraordinary virtues that propel life... for each and every one.
Thus the spirit of service and sharing; the attitude of discernment and appreciation of unique qualities, and much more.
Of course, the community does not grow by producing, showcasing and 'delivering'. It is made up of members who are all valuable and already 'mature', who spontaneously know where and how to fit in!
Women and men of faith do not seek merit, they do not hold on to things for themselves; they relate to God and their neighbours in a wise way, even when not in 'correct' terms and formulas (according to the instruction manual).
Unfortunately, in order to convince people to respect figures and structures and to follow customs, veterans have often resorted to fear.
This is particularly true of 'social' fear, the popular inclination not to get into trouble (which paralysed even inner life).
Since the time of Jesus, there has been no shortage of fear and a desire to avoid blackmail [my mother said in amazement of dishonest leaders: 'They use religion as a weapon!
The very idea of the ancient God as lawgiver and judge (vv. 24-25) led believers not to grow or pass on the faith, but rather to shut themselves off and distance themselves from the Father's plan.
Under penalty of social exclusion, it was forbidden to welcome new experiences of God, to encounter oneself authentically, to open up personal spaces (even radically identitarian ones), to chart new paths.
This was the case for centuries.
To understand the meaning of the parallel passage in Luke 19:11-28 [v. 22, where in the CEI translation the King seems to reiterate the petty idea of the uneducated slacker], it is enough to insert a question mark [the original Greek texts had no punctuation]:
'He said to him, "I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! Did you not know that I am a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?"'.
The same in Matthew 25:26:
'But his master replied, "You wicked servant [...] Did you not know that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered?"'.
As if to say, 'Who taught you that?!'.
The Lord strongly reiterates that this distorted concept of Heaven based on points can have a negative impact on the main traits of a person's personality and ruin their existence. This is especially true if freedom and the risk of love are perceived as a fault – or at least as a danger of sin that could lead to the deleterious spiritual state of no longer being considered (by traditional religiosity) 'in God's grace'.
Ancient religions needed followers who were immature and obtuse, without backbone, who were content to avoid danger and cling to the petty securities of everyday life.
Instead, the Father desires hearts that are open, that take risks for love and for the sake of love.
If the God of popular piety needs flocks that are sometimes obtuse and servile, Christ needs friends, family members and fearless collaborators, capable of walking on their own two feet, who do not dehumanise (even others).
In this way, today, the pastoral ministry of consensus [I give you what you want] presupposes obedient and devout masses, deprived of personality and dreams.
Instead, the Lord wants a family where no one is alarmed, held back, blocked or put in a hole. Perhaps for fear of losing family peace, the little place they have, the false securities they have carved out for themselves or begged for.
Pope Francis, for example, does not want our achievements to frighten and hold us back, but rather that, as members of our eternal family, we should be the first to vibrate with prophetic ideals. And to challenge false beliefs that do not disturb us - indeed, that put us into a state of lethargy - in order to stimulate more grandiose ideals in terms of humanisation.
Even the little that each of us has can be invested - through a contribution to be made available to all.
This is what happens in the community that values us: the ministerial Church [the 'bank' of v. 27] which projects and expands resources, the broken bread, the 'goods' of the Kingdom of God, to infinity.
What promotes people and reveals God's Presence is personal and unique, yet it must not remain rare.
Everyone has an opportunity for apostolate, their own aptitude for friendship and their own skills... these are territories and energies to be explored without limits, so that they may be shared, made wise and propulsive.
As the Pope said:
"The inability of experts to see the signs of the times is due to the fact that they are closed in their own system; they know what can and cannot be done, and they feel secure there. Let us ask ourselves: am I open only to my own things and ideas, or am I open to the God of surprises?"
Anyone who keeps up to date, engages with others, takes an interest and makes a contribution – without being overwhelmed by routine, fear or fatigue – sees their human and spiritual wealth grow and flourish.
Conversely, no one will be surprised that situations that are backward or abstract and disembodied - exhausting, though in themselves weak, exhausted, spineless and merely boring or fanciful - suffer further decline and ultimately perish without regret (vv. 27-30).
In these catecheses of chapter 25, the evangelist Matthew seeks to help his communities understand and act, reminding them that Jesus himself was not under guard, but was an involved, willing figure.
He did not let things slide, but got involved in the issues - nor did he say, 'What will people think of me?
Nor did he want to limit himself to fighting for an appreciable and necessary legal change - but standing at a safe distance.
Instead, he embodied the gift of himself, tracing the Way of social choice in the first person, with the arduousness of undertaking it; without placing anything in a safe, out of fear.
To paraphrase the encyclical Fratelli Tutti (n.262), we would say: he knew that even rules were not enough 'if we think that the solution to problems lies in dissuading through fear'.
The Lord, in fact, frequented those on the outside and those in between; he kept away from envious circles and those who were snobbish. He acted in a laborious, 'artisanal' way (FT n. 217) and put himself out there; he did not preach to others ex cathedra.
Did he have alternatives?
Of course: not to move, not to look after the least, not to protect them, to limit himself, to keep his mouth shut; if necessary, to open it, but only to flatter the powerful, the established and the well-connected.
By giving up the fight and avoiding the thorny paths, he would have had no problems.
And if he had added silence to the common mediocrity of the spiritual leaders of the time, he could very well have made a career for himself.
But the same goes for us: playing it safe and playing to the lowest common denominator atrophies our personal and social lives; it does not build a new Kingdom - it loses it.
In everyone, something equal and unequal
The Gospel [...] is the parable of the talents, taken from St Matthew (25:14-30). It tells of a man who, before leaving on a journey, summons his servants and entrusts them with his wealth in talents, ancient coins of great value. The master entrusts five talents to the first servant, two to the second and one to the third. During the master's absence, the three servants must make this wealth bear fruit. The first and second servants each double their initial capital; the third, however, for fear of losing everything, buries the talent he has received in a hole. When the master returns, the first two receive praise and reward, while the third, who returns only the coin he received, is rebuked and punished.
The meaning of this is clear. The man in the parable represents Jesus, we are the servants, and the talents are the inheritance that the Lord entrusts to us. What is this inheritance? His Word, the Eucharist, faith in the Heavenly Father, His forgiveness... in short, many things, His most precious gifts. This is the inheritance He entrusts to us. Not only to be guarded, but to be made to grow! While in common usage the term 'talent' refers to a marked individual quality – for example, talent in music, sport, etc. – in the parable, talents represent the Lord's goods, which He entrusts to us so that we may make them fruitful. The hole dug in the ground by the 'wicked and lazy servant' (v. 26) indicates the fear of risk that blocks creativity and the fruitfulness of love. Because the fear of the risks of love blocks us. Jesus does not ask us to keep his grace in a safe! Jesus does not ask this of us, but wants us to use it for the benefit of others. All the goods we have received are to be given to others, and thus they grow. It is as if he were saying to us: "Here is my mercy, my tenderness, my forgiveness: take them and make good use of them." And what have we done with them? Who have we 'infected' with our faith? How many people have we encouraged with our hope? How much love have we shared with our neighbour? These are questions that we would do well to ask ourselves. Any environment, even the most distant and impractical, can become a place where talents can bear fruit. There are no situations or places that are closed to Christian presence and witness. The witness that Jesus asks of us is not closed, it is open; it depends on us.
This parable urges us not to hide our faith and our belonging to Christ, not to bury the Word of the Gospel, but to let it circulate in our lives, in our relationships, in concrete situations, as a force that challenges, purifies and renews. The same is true of forgiveness, which the Lord gives us especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: let us not keep it closed within ourselves, but let it unleash its power, let it break down the walls that our selfishness has built up, let it enable us to take the first step in blocked relationships, to resume dialogue where there is no longer communication... And so on. Let us ensure that these talents, these gifts that the Lord has given us, come to others, grow and bear fruit through our witness.
I think it would be a nice gesture today if each of you took the Gospel home, the Gospel of St Matthew, chapter 25, verses 14 to 30, Matthew 25:14-30, and read this and meditate on it a little: "The talents, the riches, everything that God has given me spiritually, in goodness, the Word of God, how can I make them grow in others? Or do I just keep them in a safe?"
Furthermore, the Lord does not give everyone the same things in the same way: he knows us personally and entrusts us with what is right for us; but in everyone, in everyone there is something the same: the same immense trust. God trusts us, God has hope in us! And this is the same for everyone. Let us not disappoint him! Let us not be deceived by fear, but let us repay trust with trust! The Virgin Mary embodies this attitude in the most beautiful and fullest way. She received and accepted the most sublime gift, Jesus himself, and in turn offered him to humanity with a generous heart. We ask her to help us to be "good and faithful servants" so that we may share "in the joy of our Lord."
(Pope Francis, Angelus, 16 November 2014)
