Gospel
From the Gospel according to Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master’s money.
After a long time
the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents
came forward bringing the additional five.
He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
‘Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.’
His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'”
The Gospel of the Lord
The Talents Belong to the Lord
In this parable, the Lord makes it clear that my talents are not mine—they are gifts He has given me so that I may manage them, put them to work, and carry out the mission He has entrusted to me. That part is my responsibility: to use my abilities to serve, to bear fruit, to multiply.
The Lord has given me certain abilities, certain talents. How many? It doesn’t matter whether they are many or few. Which ones? The ones He chose. The important thing is that, whether few or many, whatever they are, He has not given them for my own benefit, nor for me to keep hidden away, but to put them at His holy service. They are not mine—they are His. And my task is to administer them well.
And He promises that if I am a good and faithful servant, if I use these talents to work for the Kingdom of God, then they will surely multiply. And on top of that, as a reward, He will grant me Eternal Life. That is astonishing! If I am faithful in little things—in the ordinary tasks of each day, with my spouse, my children, my family, my friends… He promises me Eternal Life! Could there be a greater reward?
So I ask myself… what am I doing with the talents the Lord has given me? Am I placing them at the service of my spouse, my children, my neighbor, just as He expects me to? Or am I keeping them for myself and burying them?
Applied to Marriage life:
Martin: Caroline, we’ve been invited to lead the new marriage group starting at our parish. What do you think? Should we say yes?
Caroline: What are you talking about, Martin? Us? We’re useless! There are so many couples who are better prepared than we are.
Martin: That’s exactly what I said at first… but they insisted. They said they see something in us, and that with the gifts we have, we could do a lot of good for the couples in the group.
Caroline: Our gifts? What gifts?
Martin: They said we’re welcoming, that you’re responsible, and that I’m persevering… And that we should pray about it.
Caroline: Well… that you’re persevering, that’s true, hahaha… when you set your mind on something, there’s no way to change it. And that I’m responsible, I think that’s true too… when I commit to something, I really try to give it all. And if they see us as welcoming… But will that be enough? Let’s pray about it…
(Later…)
Caroline: Honestly, I had never really stopped to think and pray about the gifts God has given us, why He gave them, and what He wants us to do with them. And the truth is, I’m not sure we’re the right ones to lead a group. I feel like I don’t have many gifts. I think the people we know have more than we do.
Martin: Could it be that laziness is winning over you? Because this isn’t about comparing ourselves with others. You know—God distributes His gifts as He wants. Everything He gives is a gift of His Love. The point is to do His Will, to put to the service of His Kingdom the gifts He has entrusted to us. We can’t be like the lazy and negligent servant in the parable, who buried his talent instead of putting it to work, and ended up losing everything.
Caroline: You’re right, Martin. Maybe it’s laziness, or maybe a bit of false humility, which at the end of the day is still just pride. I think we need to give it a try. If the Lord wants this to be our way of putting our gifts at His service, He will make it possible. And if not, He’ll let us know. Jesus, I trust in You!
Martin: That’s my Caroline! I love you!
Mother,
help us to recognize with humility the talents God has given us, never to claim them as our own, and like you, to always and in every moment give thanks to God for all He gives. He is the source of every good thing. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!” Blessed are you, Mother! Praised be the Lord!