To put things into perspective one talent is the amount of money that a laborer would make in sixteen years of work. That’s a substantial amount of money. We are pressured to make much more money than the money we really need. The idea of becoming rich is now the ultimate goal of too many people. Quite often we are bombarded with advertising from investors, financial advisors, bankers, brokers, retailers and financial institutions who offer reversed mortgages, loans, lines of credit, stock market investments, bitcoin, and other investment opportunities. But how much money do we really need to make? Definitely, the value of money is way overrated. Greed is a widespread evil. Greed is a silent killer, it can kill your soul. The question Jesus asked is quite relevant here: And for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Cf. Mk. 8:36) We have placed the drive for profit over the wider needs of the population. Profit has become more important than people; we have set profit as the ultimate goal of our economy and we have forgotten that money is just a means, not an end. Wealth should always be used to improve the quality of life but we have compromised our quality of life in order to create more wealth, and that’s so stupid. As a matter of fact, we are destroying the planet to create more wealth like if there were another planet for sale and we could buy it and move in and have a better life over there. Money has become “the priority”; there is this idea that money can buy anything and that’s not true. Money can buy a house, but it cannot buy a home; money can buy a clock, but it cannot buy time, money can buy medications but it cannot buy health; money can make our lives easier perhaps but it cannot buy happiness.
In today’s parable the servants always knew that the money they were making wasn’t theirs but their master’s; even though they made the money, they were aware the whole time that the money they were making didn’t belong to them. This is something we have to work on. We forget quite often that everything we have, every penny we make, belongs to God. Saint Paul asked this question to the Corinthians, “And what do you have that you did not receive?” (Cf. I Corinthians 4:7)
The money we make is not ours, it really belongs to God, we are just stewards and they day will come when the stewardship will be taken away from us. On that day we will have to render an account to God as Saint Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans. (Cf. Rom. 14:12)
We are going to die and each of us will have to render an account for himself to God. The time will come; there are too many people who live their lives like if they were not going to die ever, like if they were not going to have to render an account for themselves to God but… that day will come sooner or later. As good stewards we should always make sure we are using our resources wisely, we should monitor constantly our duties which each and every one of us owes to the church as its members in terms of contributions and charity. We should make sure that when we do the numbers we set aside the right amount for the church; remember always that this amount should be proportional to what you have; make sure you count everything, the more you were given the more will be required in return. God doesn’t expect exactly the same amount from everyone. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. (Cf. Lk. 12:48) So, if you were entrusted with little, little will be required in return but be careful as you do the numbers, we tend to undervalue what we have. Make sure the argument you use to determine how much you should give to your church is an argument that can persuade God. If it persuades you and others and even the IRS but doesn’t persuade God you are in big trouble.
May God give us the graces we need to be good stewards so that when we are called to his presence we me hear the words in today’s gospel: “well done, my good and faithful servant.”