DON’T BURY LIFE
The parable of the talents is surely one of the most well-known. Before leaving on a voyage, a master entrusts his goods to three employees. The first two put it to work immediately. When the master returns, they present the results to him: both have doubled the talents they received. Their effort is rewarded generously, since they have known how to respond to their master’s expectations.
The action of the third employee is strange. The only thing that occurs to him is «to hide in the ground» the talent he received and keep it safe until the end. When the master arrives, he gives it back to him thinking that he has faithfully responded to his desires: «Here you have what’s yours». The master condemns him. This «wicked and lazy» employee has understood nothing. He’s only thought about his safety.
Jesus’ message is clear. No to conservatism, yes to creativity. No to a sterile life, yes to the active response to God. No to obsession with security, yes to the effort that risks transforming the world. No to faith buried under conformity, yes to the committed following of Jesus.
It’s very tempting to go about always avoiding problems and looking for tranquility: don’t commit ourselves to anything that could complicate our life, and defend our small well-being. There’s no better way to live a sterile life, small and without horizon. The same thing happens in the Christian life. Our greatest danger isn’t getting out of business as usual and falling into exaggerated innovations, but freezing our faith and extinguishing the freshness of the Gospel. We must ask ourselves what we are sowing in society, to whom are we spreading hope, where we are alleviating suffering.
It would be a mistake to present ourselves before God with the attitude of the third servant: «Here you have what is yours. Here is your Gospel, the project of your reign, your message of love to those who suffer. We’ve kept it faithfully. It hasn’t served to transform our life or to introduce your reign into the world. We haven’t wanted to run risks. But here you have it intact».
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
