How many times have you heard today's gospel? And yet, did you ever ask yourself how much was one talent? It doesn't sound like very much. Well, it's about 75 lbs. That's right 75 pounds. Be it gold or silver. That's a lot. Most of my life I imagined a talent to be something like a shekel, coin size. And there in lies the problem.
Today's gospel is about how we will be judged in the end. It tells us simple truth about how we are created and what is expected of us. It reminds us that we are not all equal. On the contrary we are each unique.
From the moment we are conceived and God places the soul in that tiny embryonic body our parents create, he has a vision of who that person should be, and what role each of us will play in the world. And he endows each of us with precisely those talents we need to fulfill that role.
At the end of our lives we will be judged not by the quantity of anything but by how we have used the talent or talents that God has given us. Did we use them to the best of our ability or did we waste our time comparing ourselves to others, and devaluing what we had.
The other important key is in Mt. 25:25, where we are told what stopped the man from using his talent, FEAR. He says simply, "I was afraid." Fear paralyzed him, fear caused him to make the worst possible choice, to bury his talent in the ground, to not even try and put it to use.
This week let us take time to look at ourselves and acknowledge who we are. Let us see that we are each unique creations of God, endowed with precisely those talents that we need to fulfill our purpose on earth. And let us ask, how am I using my talents on a day to day basis.
Never underestimate your talent. Each day God will give you exactly what you need to fulfill that day's purpose. All we have to do is use it.
