Whose Talent Is It, Anyway?

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, November 19th, 2023:
​​Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Matthew
25:14-15, 19-21

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

“After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ "

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

In terms of the Gospel passage, a talent is a unit of currency used by the Romans. However, as we translate the passage into English, we see an interesting connection. The word talent is more commonly used in English to describe a skill or God-given gift or ability that we have, and there’s a lot we can learn from this definition as well. For the sake of this reflection, let us look at the term talent as a God-given gift. 

As we draw to the end of this liturgical year, on this Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary time, I cannot help but remember a sermon I heard by Fr. Craig Cameron on the same Gospel passage three years ago. While preaching, Fr. Craig asked us to pay attention to the fact that the master gave all his slaves at least one talent. We, as Christians, should focus less on the differences in the talents or blessings that we possess, and more on the fact that we DO possess many talents and blessings.

None of us, whether male or female, young or old, Canadian or not, is lacking a talent. At times, it might be easier to compare and wallow in self-pity about not having something that my neighbour has. But the truth of the matter remains that each one of us is unique and each one of us is blessed. 

It becomes easy to forget how blessed we are when we resort to comparison. It has been said that comparison is the thief of joy. Believe me, if comparison was a field of study, I would have a Ph.D. in it. At the stage of life that I’m in, I find myself constantly comparing myself to friends who are in relationships, or married, or to those that are mothers. I forget to look at myself with the eyes of heaven. God sees me as unique and has an incomparable plan for my life. His plan involves me making the most of the talents He has blessed me with.

God, who is the master in the parable, wants us to use our talents to draw people to Him. Whether it be the gift of evangelization, teaching, preaching, inviting, training, or any of the other innumerable gifts, each talent comes from the Lord and is given by the Lord “to glorify Him and to sanctify the world in the process” (Fr. Mike Schmitz). The spheres of influence we have and the relationships we enjoy are the “few things” over which our Master has placed us. When we bring others to the faith, or share Jesus with them, or witness to Him through our lives, we are multiplying our gifts; we are figuratively making “five more talents.” By doing so, we not only showcase our faith in God but bless Him for what He has given us, because faith is always a response to God’s desire to reach out to us. We can multiply our God-given faith by not taking it for granted and by not forgetting that each one of us has been commissioned to bring Jesus Christ in us and through us, to the world. And hopefully, someday, when we meet our Maker, we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave… enter into the joy of your Master.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for the faith You have blessed me with. Please do not let me take this faith, and my love for You, for granted. Help me recognize and appreciate every talent You have endowed me with. Help me stay humble and help me rely on You for everything that I possess and will possess. I love you, Jesus, and I trust in you. Amen. 




Rebecca Dmello

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