Episode Details

Today, we read the second of three stories in Chapter 25 of St. Matthew's Gospel. It is usually referred to as the Parable of the talents. By the way, the term "talent" as employed here referred to a certain amount of money. It could, however, we used to designate those innate qualities and aptitudes one may have as gifts of nature like the ability to sing, dance, play basketball and so forth. There are three servants given 5, 2 and 1 talent, respectively. The master goes on a trip and after some unknown time returns and demands an accounting of what his servants did with the money he left them. The first two doubled what they were given and to them the master rewards with enjoying his own happiness. The last one, alas, neglects doing anything with the one he received. He is condemned by the master as wicked and lazy. His talent was transferred to the one with 10 talents. He is thrown out into the dark where there is weeping and grinding of teeth. The Lord's analogies are illustrative of Heaven and Hell. Heaven is where there is joy and is reserved for those who have used their gifts and produced more good, while Hell is out there in the dark where there is suffering.