If you are a football fan, like I am, one of the most dreaded phrases or joyful phrases, depending on if your team will benefit or not from the call, is “upon further review the play…” words uttered by the head referee in a game after a questionable call on the field has been reviewed. However, it often happens that the review seems to ignore what the video evidence shows, which often leaves the television announcers baffled, not to mention the viewers. Human judgment, no matter how much help is often faulty.
This Sunday’s Gospel in which we hear Jesus’ Parable of the Talents presents us with a similar dilemma. We have three individuals, two risk takers who use the money given to them to make more and one person who plays it safe burying the money in a hole and losing nothing of what was given in the process.
One of these “talents” that were given in variable amounts to each person by the “master” was equivalent to a lifetime’s wage—it was no small amount. Given the current state of our economy, one would think that the third guy seems to have made the prudent choice. But in the Kingdom of Heaven playing it safe is not a virtue. Taking up one’s cross to follow Christ is all about risk—not financial risk, but giving of ourselves; our time, our talent and our treasure for God.
So upon further review, the non risk taker is condemned. The one who plays it safe, whose fear of God paralyzes them from doing anything, hears Our Lord say: “Cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” While those who take what has been given to them and “win” more hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.”
I believe that we can tell what type of servant we are in the Kingdom of Heaven by whether we share in the “joy” of the master, or live in “dread” of the master. In some way the judgment that we hear preached at the end of every year is already experienced in the present moment. The joyful person is motivated to share what God has given, while the person filled with dread fears the present and the future.
As we approach the end of the year it is a good time to take stock of our lives. What do we feel? Who do we really trust? What have we done with what God has given us?
Some Seed Fell… is a column of the Office of the New Evangelization and Stewardship, by the director of the office, Michael Dubruiel
