Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The description of a worth wife or valiant woman was placed at the end of the Book of Proverbs because she above all will be able to personify wisdom in the home. Who else can do such a job? We heard last week that the one who seeks wisdom will receive it.
At some point in our life we will all have to ‘come forward’ when the master who went away for a long time returns from his trip. Who is this master? It is Jesus Christ who departed at his ascension into heaven and promised that he would return. Then the servants (you and I) will have to come forward and show him what was done with the talents given to them. A talent was a Roman coin that represented a huge sum of money, equivalent to the average salary for twenty years. It invites us to think of the enormous gifts God has given us: our life, parents, baptism and other sacraments, preaching and encouragement from so many people.
The first two servants after receiving their talents go immediately to work; there is no hesitation. When God gives us a task he also gives us the graces needed to fulfill it. The second servant is not resentful of the first who received more than double what he got. Nor is the first one puffed up with his five talents. They realize they are serving someone greater than themselves.
The third servant regresses and buries himself as well as his talent. He is not slothful; in fact, he does more work than the others. But he is afraid, afraid to fail. Often we can give in to the hustle and bustle of life and thereby avoid doing the more difficult interior work at hand. It is often easier to run around than to make a decision, or to take a leap of faith, or surrender on a point of contention. Love is more clearly seen at times by what we do not do.
It is beautiful how the master gives something to each one, just the right amount. God is free from compulsion to compare. On the other hand, we are constantly comparing, but God doesn’t; he has no need to. We are happy until we see the next person has more.
God is asking the servants: will you trust my trust in you? If so, enter into the joy of the Lord, enter his very self, his very being. Joy and responsibility go together. Carrying this weight can bring us the greatest joy; it is not a burdensome work. Our chief joy will come from our relationship with Christ who intercedes on our behalf for the welfare of many others. This is what the saints ‘do.’ They care for us.
Let us not be like the third servant who because he didn’t call upon the Lord he trembled with fear. The same does happened or could happen to each one of us. We are culpable when we embrace fear and not Christ. It is crucial that we accept God’s gifts and responsibly multiply them. When we use the gifts they grow, when we don’t use them they diminish. Pray for wisdom, brothers and sisters; it is given to those who seek it.