The Parable of the Talents

We are all familiar with Jesus’ parable of the Talents.  A rich man goes on a journey and distributes his wealth to three servants.  One get 5 talents, another get 3 and a third gets one talent.  The first two double their talents but the third one buries his and doesn't invest it.  He is punished and cast out.  The usual lesson is that God gives us all talents and we are supposed to use them.  I recently saw a short video from Fr. Robert Barron that cast a totally different light on the parable and the lesson.

Fr. Barron says that it is unfortunate that our word “talent” appears to be the same as the “talent” in the parable.  He said that for those listening to the parable, they were aware of two meanings for that word.  One meaning had to do with wealth.  A talent was a unit of measurement used to weight gold or silver and meant about 50 pounds.  50 pounds of gold or silver was a huge amount.  The man in the parable with 5 talents actually received 250 pounds of gold, the second 150 pounds and the third, who only received one talent, still had 50 pounds of gold which was still an unbelievable amount of wealth.  The first two men had to do a great amount work to double that amount of gold.  Not only that, but they got to keep it.  The first man even got the one that the third man had buried.  Those listening had to be impressed with the rich man’s (God’s) generosity.  But still, the last line of the parable, “(f)or to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have it in abundance. But from the one who has not, even that will be taken away.”, is very troubling.

Fr. Barron says that those listening knew that there was still another meaning for the word “talent”.  In King David’s temple, the Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies. On top of the Ark were two angels with their wings reaching towards each other, just barely touching.  It was believed that all of God’s mercy rested there, where the wings touched, as an infinite number of talents of mercy.  God’s mercy, His talents, flowed down from the Holy of Holies, upon those in need of His mercy.  Those who were so blessed with mercy, then showed mercy to others and in that way the talents of mercy grew and grew.  The man with the 5 talents showed so much mercy that it grew and multiplied back to him. The same was true for the man with 3.  The man with one talent, buried it and refused to show mercy to others. That is why he lost the talent.  He had been treated mercifully by God and refused to be merciful to others.  That is why he was thrown out into the street.  Those listening to Jesus’ parable were reminded that to those who have been shown mercy were to go out and show mercy to others who were to go out and show mercy and on and on.  Mercy multiplied and came back to the merciful one.

God blesses us with mercy all the time but especially when He forgives our sins.  We are expected to go out and do the same.  We need to be forgiving to other, even those who don’t ask for it or, perhaps, don’t deserve it. If we want to see God’s mercy multiplied in our lives, we must just give it away.

"CHANGES IN LATITUDES, CHANGES IN ATTITUDES"

“CHANGES IN LATITUDES, CHANGES IN ATTITUDES” –Jimmy Buffett

While on vacation back in July, I spent most of my time at my cottage and while there posted 3 or 4 pictures to FaceBook of the lake.  One of my friends commented that I should post other photos rather than the “same shot of the lake.”  Actually each photo was different.  One was before a storm, another was after the storm, another of a sunset and another of a sun rise.  All the photos were taken from the same perspective but the lake changed.  Every moment the view changes as the sun moves across the sky, as clouds billow and leaves change color.  To say that one photo captures all that the lake has to offer is to miss so much of the beauty that is there.  To enjoy the gift from God that is present, one has to keep watching.

It’s like music.  You don’t listen to a piece of music, love it and never listen to it again.  You listen to it over and over because with each hearing you hear something new.  Last Sunday we sang “Oh God Beyond All Praising”, one of my favorite hymns.  The tune is from Gustave Holts’ “The Planets” which has also been a favorite.  On Thursday evening, Jenna Mauro-Vetter, our music minister, told me that she loved meaning behind the lyrics.  I read them over and she was right.  They are beautiful.  The thing is I have heard, and sung, that hymn for years but never really “heard” the words.  If I had sang that hymn once and never again, I would have missed so much.

I have shared with you that this summer I re-read the book “The Source” by James Mitchner.  This was my third time reading it and I discovered so much more beauty and meaning than I had seen in the first two times that I read the book.  The book didn’t change.  The words weren’t’ changed but I was.  I am different than I was in 1999 or 1967 the last times that I read the book.

The same can be said for the study or religion or the reading of Scripture.  High School students will say that Religion Class is repetitious.  They just study the same thing that they studied in fifth grade, they will say.  While it might be true that the content is the same, they are not.  They have changed and grown and matured.  Hopefully they will look at that content with different eyes and see a deeper meaning.

The readings from Sacred Scripture that we hear at Mass repeat every three years.  I don’t think that the intent of that repetition is out of some fear that we may have forgotten them.  They are repeated because we have changed.  We are not the same as we were three years ago.  The words of Scripture, the telling of the parables take on new meaning and insight because we are not the same people we were three years ago.  That is why the Word of God is always alive – because we are alive and the Word speaks to us as we change.  To say that Mass or the study of religion or the reading of Scripture is “the same old thing” is to say that you are “the same old thing”.  It is to admit that ­you have ceased growing.  You haven’t stopped growing.  God speaks to you in so many ways to address the needs and dreams and hopes that you have right now.  We should never presume that God tells us something once and from then on it is just repetition.

I will keep taking pictures of the lake.  I may continue to post them on FaceBook or Twitter.  I my “friends” and “followers” see something new each time that would be great.  If not, then they can “un-friend” me.