Sunday, November 19, 2017

Parable of the Talents

+ RWS 782 November 19, 2017  /   33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 25: 14-30
“Entrusted his possessions to them…to each according to his ability”
Individuality
By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD
      Every person is unique. Even identical twins would have something different from each other. Jesus affirms this truth in a parable on the talents where He teaches that God gives each person different degree of His powers, sufficient enough for the person to become the individual God has planned him/her to be. Being aware of our uniqueness willed by God for us and gratefully accepting this truth about us would guide us in our journey of life. This aspect could help us understand our identity and therefore become focused and determined in our thoughts and actions in our daily life and work.
      The human person at work should be aware of his individuality and uniqueness so that he would not be just like the other factors of production of goods and services, like the tools, machinery, materials and other non-human elements. Human work and activity has a character and value much different from other activities and movements. While the result of human work and activity maybe similar or even identical, the person doing the work is a unique being, who could put a unique amount of love and purpose on his actions. A machine operator has a heart and a soul which the machine does not have. Two machine operators would also be different, not in the system and structure of operating the machine, but in the intensity of the love with which each does his job, or the kind of purpose one works for. But, any machine operator, or any worker for that matter, could be the best one in his job in as much as he gives his whole being in every task he does. The Giver of talents in every person rewards sufficiently the worker who gives his whole being in his job.
Honest and hated
By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
      Most reflections on this Parable of the Talents assume that the rich man who lent money to his servants is a good and righteous man.  He thus rewarded those who also in their righteousness made his money grow, and punished the one who added nothing to his wealth. 
      Let’s welcome another way of seeing this story, and say that the money lender is a corrupt and greedy man, say a drug lord, and the two servants—corrupt and greedy like him—multiplied his wealth by also dealing in drugs, human trafficking, jueteng, and illegal recruitment of OFWs.  But the third man, being honest, regarded the money as his master’s; thus he merely accepted the money for safekeeping and did nothing to use it in any way—bad or good—that would further enrich the greedy man.  Here it is not just a question of money multiplied, but also of the morality of the business it was used for—activities that take advantage of people’s weakness, need, trust, and hopes.
      Do you see the connection between this parable told over 2,000 years ago and the situation in our country today?  Rewarding the exploiters and punishing the honest servant is what makes the rich richer, and the poor, poorer.  It becomes more pathetic when the system prevails in the workplace where co-workers more or less know one another—the unscrupulous ones band together, and the honest ones are hated.  When the boss sides with the former, the latter get ostracized, fired, or sometimes even killed.  Those desiring to follow Jesus must know that this is the price of servanthood—standing strong against temptation, doing only what Jesus would do.       


No comments: