SERVANTS, NOT OWNERS

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 25:14-30

This Sunday’s gospel presents the parable of the talents, which makes us reflect upon the purpose of life, making it clear that we will be called upon to give an account of the way we live. Life itself is a gift. In a way, it was entrusted to us but does not belong to us. And with life, we are entrusted with many other gifts.

According to the parable, a rich man entrusted his wealth to his servants, while he was going abroad. “To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability.” During Jesus' time, a talent was a unit of weight, mainly for gold and silver. A talent could weigh between 20 and 40 kg., meaning that even the one who received one talent got a huge fortune. We may be puzzled that they were treated differently but a reason is given: according to their ability. Nowadays, there is a concerted effort to establish not only equality but equity. It seems that the parable goes against this modern trend. The parable implies that we are treated differently because we are different, and no matter what we do we remain different. The world is built on difference and it is an impossible dream to establish equity. The parable invites us to accept reality. It is true that all of us have the same dignity and are called to walk along the path of life; however, each one has to make his journey, finding his difficulties and making his own decisions.

The ones entrusted with the money were servants, not the owners. The property did not belong to them. Maybe they were proud of the trust put in them, At the same time, they might be apprehensive since something might happen and the wealth is lost. The parable presents two types of servants: a) Those who showed resourcefulness, initiative and creativity. With their hard work and good administration, they doubled the wealth entrusted to them. b) The one who lacked self-confidence, was afraid of taking risks and behaved lazily.

One day, their lord came and they had to account for their administration. The ones who made good use of the property entrusted to them were praised and rewarded because they proved to be faithful, committed, selfless, hardworking. The lazy one who did nothing with what he had received was scolded and punished.

We have been entrusted with many talents that we must develop and make good use of. We must not forget that we are called to responsibility. We are answerable for our lives and we must give account of our administration. May the Lord find us faithful.