Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 - Wednesday in the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31 and Luke 19:11-28]He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, "Engage in trade with these until I return."
The parable of the "talents" (a measure of weight in coinage) is often interpreted either economically (Jesus is a capitalist!) or personally (How should I use the "gifts" God has given me?). Neither of these interpretations is true to the text. Luke is referring to the gospel and the duty of the Christian community to preach it until the Lord comes again! The obligation to "engage in trade" may mean reaching out to those who are not Jews. That, in fact, is what Peter and Paul do in the Acts of the Apostles, which is "volume two" of Luke's Gospel. There is a clear lesson in this parable for the Church from top to bottom. Fear and paralysis about the "deposit of the faith" can lead to our failing to preach it in ways that will allow it to spread. Pope Benedict XVI has tried to call our attention to the fact that the gospel will not be spread by finger-wagging negativism. If we bury the faith beneath our fears, we will have an unpleasant accounting to do when the Lord comes. The problem with those fears is that they may represent our faith at just one point in its history and expression (e.g. after the Council of Trent 1546-63 or any of the other ecumenical councils). Our fears may lead us to try to freeze and protect that given moment and keep the faith from developing through the experience of evangelization. We can become like that poor servant whose fear kept him from taking risks. Our Church leaders often give that impression, unfortunately. On the other end, those who are bolder do need to remember that they are expected to show results that are in keeping with what the Master has entrusted them with. If there is any indication of the Lord's preference here, it is in favor of the risk-takers! AMEN
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