Beyond Talent

33^rd Sunday in the Ordinary Time

November 16, 2014

Matthew 25:14-30

“It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them (Mat 25:1).”

The parable in today’s Gospel is popularly and fondly known as the parable of the talents. This might be because many reflections focus on and revolve around the key word ‘talent’. It is about how the talents being used, developed and multiplied. The talent serves as the gauge of a success or failure of a servant. Perhaps, it speaks conveniently as well about our daily concern on how to handle our own lives.

However, we might miss a lot of this parable if we pay too much attention on ‘talent’. The story possesses something more basic meaning of the talent. It is the relationship between the master and the servants. In fact, it reveals to us the constitutive element of a genuine relationship. It tells us about trust. The master of the house entrusted his precious talents to his servants because he knew their characters and abilities, and had trust in them. The two servants worked hard to double the talents because they put their trust in their master that their labor would be justly rewarded. The multiplication of the talents is but an outward sign of working relationship based on trust.

Trust speaks of our own relationship with others. From friendship between two persons to the most complex democracy involving millions of citizens, all begin with trust and shall last because of the same trust. A true marriage starts with love and trust between a husband and a wife. Without trust, it is impossible for a man to give his whole self to his wife as well as the woman to her husband. This is why the Church only sees a marriage as valid and undissolvable when the both man and woman enter the relationship in freedom, love and trust. Any other intention like self-interest, pleasure-seeking and force of coercion renders the marriage as null and void.

Last August 2014, the Indonesians directly elected their president, and we have now Mr. Joko Widodo as our seventh president of the Republic. Election is essential part of any democratic system in choosing their government official, and an authentic democracy only takes place out of trust of the people toward their leaders and the leaders in their people.

Unfortunately, not all relationships are built upon trust. Deceit and Lie based on selfish interest and egocentricity motivate some people to enter into relation and after they get what they want, they leave the other party in ruin. A girl divulges her friend’s secrets. A husband leaves his wife for prettier and richer woman. Company exploits their workers. Politicians promised empty words just to win the election. The list goes on and on. Because of this, trust always involves risk. We cannot read other people’s intention and foresee the incoming events. We become open and vulnerable.

Why did he trust his servants despite the uncertainty of the future? The parable does teach us that there is always a risk, an uncertainty and danger, yet the point is that the master of the house does not succumb to his fear. Because he understood that only trust can beget another trust. Now, the ‘talent’ is not only about skill, ability or giftedness, but it turns to be a symbol of trust itself. Believing is risky, but without giving our trust, the ‘talent’ will not grow and affect other’s people’s lives. Through this parable, Jesus would like to teach us on how to build on a genuine human community. It begins with simple talent of trust and it grows as it is shared and multiplied.

We are the master of the house and the talent is in us. Now it is up to us whether to hold it tight and slowly shrinks and vanish, or to pass it on, see it multiply and enrich other persons’ lives.  The choice is ours.

Bro. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP