Use Our Talents to Convert Others?

[PonderingJak]

A couple weeks ago in Mass I was flipping through the weekly reading and read the one about the master that left his servants, one with 1 talent, one with 3 talents, and one with 5 talents (I may have gotten the numbers wrong). They traded to get more talents (except for the one with only a single talent who buried his in the ground) and when the master came back he was pleased with all except the first servant, who had buried his talent. He was very angry at this servant. Does this parable relate the talents to a form of currency or literally “talents” as in like good at talking or jumping or such?

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

I think it can be any of those, because the Bible speaks to us at different levels. The connections it triggers for each person is slightly different which is one of the reason the Lectio Divina (divine reading) stresses our reactions to scripture more than their actual interpretations. Because the Bible is built to speak to our hearts at different levels: like the literal sense, the moral sense, the allegorical sense, the analogical sense. So that’s why I like hearing people’s reactions to scripture at least as much as what they think “it’s supposed to mean.”

But as far as to “convert others” I’m not sure that having the goal of converting others is the primary focus I think of when I hear this. I think more of using our talents to learn to love unconditionally. The type of talent that helps us open our eyes into the kingdom. Of course that could in turn become attractive, as we may help others taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

So for me, the more I focus on becoming unconditionally loving, not judging, mercy, and gosh can we ever tame that pride, that these are things we can learn.

And when that happens, once we learn of the wisdom/secrets of the kingdom, we will be given more.

Matt 13:11-12
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.