Today's Gospel: Matthew 25 Parable of the Talents

[puzzleannie]

I don’t get it.

.

What is the Catholic understanding of this parable?

heard 3 homilies or reflections this week on this gospel so will try to summarize

Jesus again is speaking to the Pharisees, and reminding them they are the ones who were given 5, the whole enchilada, the most, the chosen people who received, preserved and handed on Divine Revelation, including prophesy of his own coming as the Messiah. They were expected and intended to share the good news of fulfillment of that prophecy with the world, yet they did not, they buried it under their legalism and plotting against him, so he would, in time, be giving the good news to the gentiles for them to evangelize.

God gives to each according to his ability and his needs. We don’t all get dealt the same hand, but we don’t just fold, we take the risk, ante up, and play the hand we are dealt. If we ask him we will get more, just for the asking–not just more chips, more skill. That is, more grace. Whatever we need to face the challenges he allows us to face, he will give us. What he gives us will be the grace needed to cope, to conquer, to reap all the blessings he intends from the situation. If we are called to marriage we are given the grace to handle the challenges of marriage. If that marriage ends through divorce, death whatever, we are given the grace to handle that situation–if we ask for it, and if we use what we have already been given. The situation in which we are born, to which we are led by his call, is the situation in which he intends us to work out our sanctification, and in which we will experience the fullness of his grace in this life, in preparation for the next.

and I already forgot the third interpretation. Oh yes. The talents represent, as is a traditional view, our gifts, not only the gifts of personality traits and skills–she is smart, funny, and a good tennis player. But the gifts of the Holy Spirit received through our Baptism and Confirmation, the gifts we are expected to use to grow spiritually, to serve God and his Church, to evangelize, to live as a disciple of Christ and member of His Body, to give our selves fully to him. The one with 5 gifts gives all 5 back to Christ and his Church, in fullness, the one with 3, the same. The one with fewest gifts hoards them, considers only his own spiritual or emotional needs, ignores the just claims of the Church for his time, talent and treasure, ignores the poor, and ignores his baptismal duty to evangelize.

 

[graceandglory]

I am thinking that the increase…is not so much of an increase but to go with what God gives us and try to make more of it…to use the talents he gave us to honor him. I might be wrong but that is what I get from it.

Does that make sense?

Yes. It makes sense.

I’m not sure I agree with it, though. Nothing personal.


The parable speaks of investing and receiving an increase on our investment.

So, if I understand the parable to mean “talent” as in skills and abilities, and I “invest my talents” into the Kingdom of God, and furthering the Kingdom of God,
shouldn’t there be some kind of tangible, earthly, thing that would symbolize the increase part of the parable?

Specifically:
I give of myself and my money to causes I believe in. I do spend a good amount of time and ability on “heavenly” pursuits.

As a result, I am just getting by in this life financially.

Shouldn’t there be some kind of “increase” that I would notice, in order for this parable to make sense if understood as being related to “ability” talents? And I don’t mean financial “increase.” Just something tangible, to match up with the parable.

 

[graceandglory]

heard 3 homilies or reflections this week on this gospel so will try to summarize

Jesus again is speaking to the Pharisees, and reminding them they are the ones who were given 5, the whole enchilada, the most, the chosen people who received, preserved and handed on Divine Revelation, including prophesy of his own coming as the Messiah. They were expected and intended to share the good news of fulfillment of that prophecy with the world, yet they did not, they buried it under their legalism and plotting against him, so he would, in time, be giving the good news to the gentiles for them to evangelize.

God gives to each according to his ability and his needs. We don’t all get dealt the same hand, but we don’t just fold, we take the risk, ante up, and play the hand we are dealt. If we ask him we will get more, just for the asking–not just more chips, more skill. That is, more grace. Whatever we need to face the challenges he allows us to face, he will give us. What he gives us will be the grace needed to cope, to conquer, to reap all the blessings he intends from the situation. If we are called to marriage we are given the grace to handle the challenges of marriage. If that marriage ends through divorce, death whatever, we are given the grace to handle that situation–if we ask for it, and if we use what we have already been given. The situation in which we are born, to which we are led by his call, is the situation in which he intends us to work out our sanctification, and in which we will experience the fullness of his grace in this life, in preparation for the next.

and I already forgot the third interpretation. Oh yes. The talents represent, as is a traditional view, our gifts, not only the gifts of personality traits and skills–she is smart, funny, and a good tennis player. But the gifts of the Holy Spirit received through our Baptism and Confirmation, the gifts we are expected to use to grow spiritually, to serve God and his Church, to evangelize, to live as a disciple of Christ and member of His Body, to give our selves fully to him. The one with 5 gifts gives all 5 back to Christ and his Church, in fullness, the one with 3, the same. The one with fewest gifts hoards them, considers only his own spiritual or emotional needs, ignores the just claims of the Church for his time, talent and treasure, ignores the poor, and ignores his baptismal duty to evangelize.

Thank you, Puzzle Annie, for giving of your time and talent this way, and responding to my thread.

This is something I’m going to have to read and think about before I can add anymore of my thoughts. Maybe this will answer my question.

 

[Reynardus]

I too have always been confused on what “talent” meant. I also thought talents referred to skills and natural abilities and using it for God’s purposes.

I’ve also wondered if talents refers to grace. God has given everyone graces and multiplying it meant responding to that grace, the spiritual fruits it brings and dispersing God’s love from that initial grace to others in the form of charitable deeds. These are what you bring back to the Master.

Investing in the bank and receiving interest means investing in the church in the form of prayer. Your prayers for others especially the poor souls in Purgatory is a way of receiving interest from the bank.

These are just some personal interpretations of mine. I’m still not sure of these anyway.

 

[Eucharisted]

ZE08111608 - 2008-11-16
Permalink: zenit.org/article-24278?l=english

**Fear Undermines Talents, Says Pontiff

Urges Faithful to Share Gifts as Mary Did**

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 16, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Fear is the wrong attitude when it comes to putting talents at the service of our neighbors, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope affirmed this today when he reflected on the Gospel reading from Mass before he prayed the midday Angelus with crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square. The reading was on the parable of the talents.

“The ‘talent’ was an ancient Roman coin of great value and precisely on account of the popularity of this parable it has become synonymous with personal gifts, which everyone is called to develop,” the Holy Father explained.

He said that “such gifts, apart from natural qualities, represent the riches that the Lord Jesus has left us as a legacy, so that we bear fruit with them: his Word, deposited in the holy Gospel; baptism, which renews us in the Holy Spirit; prayer – the ‘Our Father’ – that we address to God as sons united in the Son; his forgiveness, which he commanded to be brought to all; the sacrament of his immolated Body and his Blood that he poured out. In a word: the Kingdom of God, which is Christ himself, present and living among us.”

This is the treasure that Jesus has entrusted to his friends, the Pontiff affirmed.

And he said that “today’s parable considers the interior attitude with which this gift is accepted and valued.”

“The mistaken attitude is that of fear,” the Bishop of Rome stated. “The servant who fears his master and fears his return, hides the coin in the ground and it does not produce any fruit. This happens, for example, to those who, having received baptism, Communion, and confirmation bury such gifts beneath prejudices, a false image of God that paralyzes faith and works, so as to betray the Lord’s expectations.”

“But,” Benedict XVI continued, “the parable puts greater emphasis on the good fruits born by the disciples who, happy at the gift received, did not hide it with fear and jealously, but made it fruitful, sharing it, participating in it. Indeed, what Christ gives us is multiplied when we give it away! It is a treasure that is made to be spent, invested, shared with all, as the Apostle Paul, that great administrator of Jesus’ talents, has taught us.”

The Pope thus concluded that the central message of the parable “regards the spirit of responsibility with which the Kingdom of God is to be accepted: responsibility toward God and toward humanity.”

And he pointed to the Virgin Mary as the perfect example of one who has this responsibility as God wants.

“This attitude is perfectly incarnated in the heart of the Virgin Mary who, receiving the most precious of gifts, Jesus himself, offered him to the world with great love,” the Pontiff said. “Let us ask her to help us to be ‘good and faithful servants,’ so that one day we can take part ‘in the joy of our Lord.’”

 

[NotWorthy]

Yes. It makes sense.

I’m not sure I agree with it, though. Nothing personal.


The parable speaks of investing and receiving an increase on our investment.

So, if I understand the parable to mean “talent” as in skills and abilities, and I “invest my talents” into the Kingdom of God, and furthering the Kingdom of God,
shouldn’t there be some kind of tangible, earthly, thing that would symbolize the increase part of the parable?

Specifically:
I give of myself and my money to causes I believe in. I do spend a good amount of time and ability on “heavenly” pursuits.

As a result, I am just getting by in this life financially.

Shouldn’t there be some kind of “increase” that I would notice, in order for this parable to make sense if understood as being related to “ability” talents? And I don’t mean financial “increase.” Just something tangible, to match up with the parable.

No, I don’t think so. You see, when does the King return according to the Bible? When we are judged. The rewards are heavenly rewards.

Sometimes we get caught in trying to carry a parable too far and missing the often simple points. Not you, specifically grace and glory, but all of us.

 

[Usagi]

The parable speaks of investing and receiving an increase on our investment.

So, if I understand the parable to mean “talent” as in skills and abilities, and I “invest my talents” into the Kingdom of God, and furthering the Kingdom of God,
shouldn’t there be some kind of tangible, earthly, thing that would symbolize the increase part of the parable?

The degree to which your efforts further the Kingdom (whether through winning souls or performing highly tangible works of mercy for other people) would be that increase.

Remember, the servant is not seeing “increase” for himself. He’s investing his master’s money, and making more money for the master.

Likewise, we take the gifts God gives us (money, skills, time) and use them to accomplish His goals in the world, rather than “burying” them and being able to say to Him only “Yep, still got that thing You gave me, not that I did anything with it” when He returns.

The reward part for us comes after the Master’s return, when those who have been responsible with “little” are given greater responsibilities. What those will be, we do not know.

Usagi

 

[jcrichton]

graceandglory,
You have gotten some excellent replies so far. The only thing I would add it to recommend you listen to Fr. Robert Barron’s homily on this parable. I love Fr. Barron and he posts a homily on the Sunday readings every week on his website, Word on Fire.

The one thing my pastor had to add that has not already been touched on here was that one talent coin was worth the equivalent of about $5 million in today’s currency. The master said on the return of the second servant “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little.” A little? He’s talking about $10 million!! What does this show? Again, it’s not really about the money, but if $10 million is “a little” to God, just think of the abundant blessings we will receive if we follow His commands all our lives!! And in this parable, the command is to take a risk and share everything God has given us.

Hope this helps.

Hi, Cattitude!

…don’t mean to question the rate of exchange… how was that determined?

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[jcrichton]

thank you to those who have responded so far.

I don’t have any thoughts right now.

In the parable of the talents

the definition of talent is a denomination of money. It’s like saying five ten dollar bills, two ten dollar bills…

Is this what people understand the gospel to mean, or are most people interpreting it to mean “skills?”

Hi, graceandglory!

…I have always believed that the talents were a monetary value of some sort; yet, when we read the Holy Scriptures we can surmise that Christ is speaking about the actual Gifts of the Holy Spirit–at least St. Paul understands this to be the case as he emphasized the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as given to the Believers for both the Believers’ and the Church’s growth/development…

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[jcrichton]

talent = about 60 pounds of gold or silver

That was real money back then.

Hi, quasimodo!

(…interesting tag!)

Do you believe the premise of the material you’ve quoted in your signature?

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[jcrichton]

Okay, so I invest time into spreading the gospel. Let’s just say that I spend a tenth of my income and a tenth of my time on evangelization.

Where or What is the increase that Christ talked about in the parable?

Hi, graceandglory!

…Catholic theology is not based on the temporal “wealth and health” premises that non-Catholic embrace…

Jesus warns His disciples that they should not worry about the things they have achieved (healings, preaching and converting, casting out evil spirits…) that they should concern themselves with having their names placed in the Book of the Lamb… He also cautions everyone that it would be difficult for the financially wealthy to enter into Heaven… and there’s one particular passage where He speaks about making sure that our treasure is stored in Heaven where thieves and moth cannot get at it…

…so if you concern yourself with gaining wealth and health in exchange for serving the Lord with the talents you’ve been given… I think that you might just be setting yourself up for failure… but if you look for those instances of victory and success in your life (viewed through Jesus’ eyes) you will no doubt find many Blessings and quite a few achievements…

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[Cattitude]

Hi, Cattitude!

…don’t mean to question the rate of exchange… how was that determined?

Maran atha!

Angel

I have no idea, that’s just what I was told…

 

[jcrichton]

I have no idea, that’s just what I was told…

…I was just curious… it seems to me that someone is applying today’s rate of exchange–not a realistic translation, I surmise; it’s akin to St. Joseph being portrayed as some sort of wealthy man because he was a carpenter…

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[NotWorthy]

…I was just curious… it seems to me that someone is applying today’s rate of exchange–not a realistic translation, I surmise; it’s akin to St. Joseph being portrayed as some sort of wealthy man because he was a carpenter…

Maran atha!

Angel

From what I read, a talent (100 pounds of silver) is worth 6000 denarrii. A denarii is a days wages, so a talent is 20 years wages. 5 talents is not an inconsiderable amount of money.

 

[CWBetts]

How did we get to a discussion on the exchange rate of a talent? When it comes down to it isn’t that irrelevent when the important thing is to use what God gives us to give increase to Him?

 

[NotWorthy]

How did we get to a discussion on the exchange rate of a talent? When it comes down to it isn’t that irrelevent when the important thing is to use what God gives us to give increase to Him?

To me its important, because it should help us appreciate just how great are the gifts that God gives us. For years, I overlooked this part, and thought it was the equivalent to about 1000 bucks.

 

[CWBetts]

But exactly how much money it would be is reaaly unneeded. What is important that some people God gives more natural abilities to, and others less, but we all need to make good use of them. It is enough to know that God gives us all something, and we owe a return, and have no right to squander what we have. But if having specific information helps you understand it better, more power to you. I guess I’m just the type of guy that looks for concepts and such.

 

[NotWorthy]

Has anyone pondered that Jesus calls the third servant wicked and lazy? What did he do that was so wicked? Nothing!

It’s hard to fathom, but when you look at the three parables that Jesus tells in Matthew 25, the 10 virgins, the Parable of the Talents, and the Sheep and the Goats, the Master/King punishes each group for sins of omission - in other words, not doing anything for others.

That’s scary.

 

[GailMac]

hmmmmmmmmm last week’s Gospel…So I thought God if I was a talent in Your hands how would You spend me? and then I went to the Adoration chapel and prayed a whole bunch knowing God is spending me well.

Peace,

Gail

 

[jcrichton]

From what I read, a talent (100 pounds of silver) is worth 6000 denarrii. A denarii is a days wages, so a talent is 20 years wages. 5 talents is not an inconsiderable amount of money.

I’ve heard it said to be in the millions… it seems to me that there’s a great difference between an ounce of gold at less than $400.00 (some years ago) and that when it reached past $800.00; there should be a more equitable example cited.

Maran atha!

Angel