Talents

Oh God, my God, I have been in such pain; I have prayed to you, I have prayed to you screaming with frustration and anger at not being able to accomplish, for those I love, what I wish to. In driving these treacherous roads in Georgia I have put myself at great risk many times just trying to get to where I should be to help my loved ones. Stuck in traffic, not moving, I cried to you over and over but then I realized, even though I was going to be very late and even though I was very concerned about the possible outcomes of being late I just had to halt my screening and calm down.  Just then I realized that whatever would happen would be a result of Your grace.

Arriving that night at my destination 20 minutes after the closing time, I found that two nice people had been taking care of my daughter’s child and no harm had come. I realized that You, my God, had indeed answered my cries perhaps, finally, because I willed to no longer try to find a way through the traffic, but instead, trusted in You.

At mass this Sunday a deacon rather than the priest gave the sermon. I felt bitter at that moment but I listened to what he had to say. He made reference to the parable in the Gospels of the master giving three of his servants talents or money to be used for the Master’s benefit while he was away on a trip. 10,000 talents given to the first servant, 5000 given to the second servant and 1000 talents given to the third. The first two made wise investments and when the master returned he commended them for having been faithful to the task given to them as they gave their master not only the talents given them but the results of their investments. The master said to them that they had been faithful in a small matter and now they will share His joy.

The third servant had been fearful that he would not do well in investing the money given him so he buried it and after the master returned the servant said that he was afraid of not doing well with an investment and so he just returned what had been given him. The master chastised him saying that he could have invested the talents given him in the bank and he could’ve at least gotten interest. But because he was not faithful to the task of using the Masters money’s to the best of his ability he was deprived of the money and the money assigned to those who had used their wisdom in investing what they had been given.  The master then declared that this servant would be cast away and would not share in the master’s joy.

The deacon gave a very enlightening explanation of the parable, saying that the master is God and we are the servants to whom God has given us, each of us, talents to be used faithfully in accomplishing whatever mission has been given us while on this earth. Those who had invested wisely are like those of us who are faithful to the calling of God to utilize their gifts in honoring God and serving their fellow human beings. Those of us who do not recognize God and his mission for us may do all kinds of things good and bad with the talents given us and even succeed in acquiring money for ourselves but if we have not done these things in response to God’s generosity, while using these these gifts to successfully enrich ourselves alone, then we have been unfaithful to God’s mission for us and whatever successes we might have have not been giving God is just due.

The deacon then caped off the sermon with the main point of the parable:  God does not look for our successes in life but rather looks for our faithfulness in using His talents to honor him and help our fellow human beings. Thus I realized that even though I cannot control everything in my life as I would wish, especially to help members of my family and others, the Lord does not look for success, but rather, He looks at my faithfulness in doing whatever mission He has assigned me. 

This understanding that my faithfulness is what God requires of me  Finally, at the end of my journey on earth, I will share in His joy, whiles my concerns about loved ones He will handle. This understanding has given me a large measure of peace and hopefully, even though I may still vent my anger and frustration at not being able to do all I would wish, these displays will be of shorter and shorter duration as I realize that God is present at every moment and if I but remain faithful to the use of His talents He has given me to honor Him and help others, whether I succeed in the way that I would like, it matters only that I remain faithful.