Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 31, 2024
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master’s money.
After a long time
the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents
came forward bringing the additional five.
He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
‘Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.’
His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
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.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'”
Mail call was once the best part of a soldier’s day, and that was certainly true for me in the late 1980s when I was stationed in Korea or deployed to Panama. My grandmother wrote often and penned today’s gospel verses at the end of every letter.
I focused only on the five-talent character in Jesus’ parable back then because I took this parable as her encouragement to lead a five-talent life. As grandmothers often believe, grandsons can do anything. I now realize it was just as easy to overlook the two-talent servant as it was to dismiss the wicked and lazy servant charged with one-talent. But there are three servants in this parable for a reason.
It reminds me a bit of George Bailey, the upright citizen-leader played by Jimmy Stewart is in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. George has five-talent aspirations and can’t wait to leave his sleepy, tiny hometown of Bedford Falls to conquer the world. In his mind, it seems, God has trapped him and his five-talents in a mere two-talent role. This tension throughout the movie is resolved with the help of Clarence, his guardian angel.
Granted a wish, George receives an eye-opening tour of a town in which he was never born. The wish fulfilled sets up more of a plea than a prayer and he soon returns home to face the banking hiccup threatening his business.
As the movie ends, we see a different George Bailey, one who realizes his talents and role are more aligned than he thought. It’s his “Well done, good and faithful servant.” moment—a gift at the halftime of his life. Today’s gospel is a reminder to trust that God provides talents in his perfect sufficiency, whether in a five-talent role or the not-to-be-overlooked two-talent role.
Prayer
We believe, O Lord, that you are consummate fairness. You know all the circumstances in our lives, our strengths and our weaknesses. We have been given the gift of life in our birth and the gift of your spiritual life in our baptism. Help us, we plead, to give back our self to you as you gave us of your very self in eternal life.
Saint of the Day
St. Raymond only barely survived his own birth, yet went on to lead many, even his captors, to new life in Christ.
Raymond was born in 1204 in Spain, though his mother died while in labor, which prompted his delivery by Caesarian operation. This is the origin of his surname, “Nonnatus,” which means “not born.” He is depicted below as an infant being fed by angels.
His father planned for Raymond to join the royal court, but he felt called to religious life. His father then assigned him the task of overseeing one of the family farms. Raymond spent all of his time in prayer and in conversation with the shepherds and hired hands, so his father gave up on his plans.
Raymond became a priest and spent all he had to ransom Christians captured by Muslims. When he ran out of money, he gave his own life for another Christian and was sentenced to die. His captors realized that he would be worth more if he could bring a ransom, so he was imprisoned and tortured, but succeeded at converting some of his guards. To keep him from converting others, his captors bored holes through his lips and locked his mouth shut with a padlock.
He was eventually ransomed and lived the rest of his life as a poor monk; he died in 1240. Because of the circumstances of his birth, he is patron of expectant mothers. His relics rest in the Basilica, and the image of him preaching is used with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Raymond Nonnatus, patron saint of expecting mothers, pray for us!