The Accounting

The Accounting
November 19, 2023    33rd Sunday in OT - A
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi

If the world ended today, would you be ready to make an accounting of your life?  

Of all of the books of the New Testament, most scholars say that Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is the first, or maybe the second, and that was written less than 20 years after Jesus’ Resurrection.  So when Paul writes that the early Christians already know that the 2nd coming of Christ could come at any time without warning, he is also reminding them that it won’t be long before they too will need to make an accounting of their lives.  The Church continues to remind us of that future as we approach the end of our Liturgical year next Sunday, when we celebrate Christ, the King of the Universe.

However, first we will celebrate Thanksgiving this Thursday. Although it isn’t a Holy Day of Obligation – and it should be – Thanksgiving still reminds us to be thankful for the many gifts that God has entrusted to us.  That’s the truth of it, isn’t it?  Despite our thoughts to the contrary, what we have aren’t only a result of our personal efforts, but are gifts given to us by God.

But today’s Gospel also reflects a more important truth – all that we have aren’t just gifts given to us to do with as we see fit, but they represent precious treasures that actually belong to God and which have been entrusted to us as stewards to use according to His Will, and at the end of our life He will want them back.  Jesus compares these gifts to talents.

What’s a talent?  Today, when we hear the word “talent” we may think about exceptional artistic skills like painting or singing or playing the piano (none of which I possess), or physical skills like playing sports (which I don’t have, either).  

And often we like to showcase those abilities that we consider exceptional in shows or competitions.  For example, I’m sure many of you have seen or at least heard of the TV show “America’s Got Talent.” And don’t forget our fascination with sports – I guess we could say that the World Series-winning Texas Rangers have particular talents. The verdict is still out on the Cowboys…

But, as presented in today’s Gospel, a “talent” was a unit of measure usually used to weigh precious metals.  It varied between about 60 and 75 lbs. depending on the culture, with Jewish tradition being on the heavier end.  It was also the equivalent of about 3000 shekels, and a shekel was the average daily wage for the common laborer of the time.

So in today’s Gospel the servant who only received one talent still received the equivalent of 10 years wages.  And with gold currently worth almost $2000 an ounce, that means your average 10yr old child, who weighs about 70lbs, would be worth about $2.2 million dollars today – if he or she was made of gold.  I know we say that a child is more precious than gold, but sometimes I think that only means they are just that expensive to raise.

But whether or not we’re talking about talents as precious metals or of talents being special skills or abilities, do we recognize that they are gifts from God?  They are.  And whether we have been blessed with financial success or a great voice or ability to play sports, it is up to us to cultivate our talents – for the glory of God.

In today’s Gospel, the Master gives his servants a ridiculously large sum of money to take care of, and then he just – leaves.  No instructions on how to use the talents, no instructions on how to invest them – he simply entrusts his servants with them.  And he leaves.

In a way, God has done the same thing with us, with one exception:  God has told us what needs to be done with the talents that he has entrusted to us, as we hear in the parable of the sheep and the goats concerning the Works of Mercy and in the Beatitudes.

Even if he hasn’t given each of us specific instructions, the challenge remains.  Although we often don’t think that some of the things we are good at are of any value to others, God has gifted us with them for a reason and each one can be used, first and foremost, for the building of the Kingdom of God.  Every one!  Trust me.  When I was being yelled at to be quiet as a kid, I would never have guessed that one of my most precious talents as a deacon would be my big mouth.  

Talents are meant to be nurtured and grown. Today’s Gospel ends with, “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Whatever your talents – athletics, money, singing, whatever – if you do NOT use them FIRST for the Glory of God, then no matter how successful you are, how famous you are, or how rich you are – you’ve buried your talent in the earth.  And eventually, as with all things buried in the earth, they will waste away and soon be of no value to you or anyone else.  Especially for you.

One final thought.  If we do treasure the gifts we have received from God, if we are truly thankful for them and pray in thanksgiving to God for them this Thursday, do we recognize that they still belong to God?  Do we use them for His Glory?  

Remember – we are only stewards of all that we have.  Today’s Gospel reminds us that there will come a day when God will ask us to make an accounting of all that He has entrusted to us, and we will have to give it back.  And, He expects it with interest.