He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters

 

 And He was casting out a demon and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

 

- Luke 11:14-23 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus and the disciples went, He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."   And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

 

  And He was casting out a demon and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Today's reading picks up after a passage in which Jesus taught the disciples to pray, giving us what we know as the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father (see this reading for that passage).  Beelzebub is a "nickname," so to speak, meant to be derogatory, mocking the pagan god Baal, and Baal's many shrines whose names sounded similar.  This name, used by the Jews in derision, means "the Lord of the Flies."  Here, it is a direct reference to Satan. 

 

  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  My study Bible comments that a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (see Luke 4:9-12).  

 

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."  The finger of God is the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28).  

 

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."  The strong man is Satan, whom my study Bible says holds sway over the fallen human race, while the stronger is Christ (see 1 John 4:4).

 

 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  My study Bible comments that it is the work of Christ to gather the children of God, while those who scatter are in direct opposition to Him.  Those who work in opposition to Christ, it notes, are different from those who work in good faith toward His purpose but are not yet united to the Church (see Luke 9:46-50).  My study Bible quotes St. Seraphim of Sarov, who says that only "good deeds done for Christ's sake bring fruit," and so therefore deeds done for any other purpose, "even if they are good, are deeds that scatter abroad."  

 

It's interesting to look at the word translated as scatters in today's reading ("He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters").   This verb is σκορπίζω/skorpizo).   If we look up the etymology of this Greek word, we find that it comes from an ancient root that means to "penetrate" or to "pierce."  Apparently it suggests to us a force that works like a battering ram or catapult, which can penetrate and enter into a body of persons or other things, and so scatter and divide them, with an action of breaking apart.  The same word has a common root with the word for scorpion (σκορπίος/skorpios) whose tail penetrates and stings, and an animal that is, interestingly, a metaphor for demons, who "sting" and torment people.  So, looked at etymologically, this word suggests to us a weapon of war that divides and splits (and hence, scatters or disperses).  If this is the action of a tormenting, stinging demon that may make a person "beside himself," or create dissension within a body of people, then Christ's power here is suggestive of a far more powerful weapon of war than the demons possess.  Therefore if we consider these various meanings, what we have is suggestive not of a passive sort of force or entropy by which those who do not gather with Christ fail, but rather the scattering is the result of the much more powerful force of Christ.  Moreover, there's another interesting word which is translated as "gather," and that verb is συνάγω/synago.  This is the root of the word synagogue, meaning "assembly" in Greek.  This verb συνάγω/synago for "gathers" is again suggestive not of some more passive force from within those who gather, but rather it suggests there is one by whom they gather, one who leads and so gathers.  Clearly that leading and gathering force is Christ, just as it is the power of Christ that will divide and scatter those against Him.   Taken together, the Greek of the original text reveals to us more about the power of Christ and how it works.  That is, the stronger man whose power and force overcome the will and effort of other "strong men" who seek to rule or lead in opposition.  Christ has come into the world bringing a Kingdom which is a kingdom of love, in which we are taught to forgive, to pray for one another, even to love our enemies.  But in spiritual terms, Christ is the more powerful force that destroys the rule of His enemies, the devil and demons that torment human beings, penetrating and scattering and dividing their efforts -- while in Him is the greater power to lead and to gather together to Himself those who love Him.  Taking these words together we can understand the power in the original Greek text, the authority and divinity present in the teachings.  While we have discerned from many passages we have read in St. Luke's Gospel so far the spiritual battle which goes on unseen behind what we know of our world, today's reading puts it in sharper focus.  Jesus' words draw quite profoundly upon images of battle between kingdoms for the authority over one place, a stronger man decisively overcoming a strong man who thought his goods were secure.  It's interesting how the word for scorpion (a metaphorical image for a demon) somehow is linguistically linked to the greater scattering and piercing power of Christ.  Jesus now journeys toward Jerusalem and the Cross -- which was a weapon used in an attempt to defeat Him.  But through His power the Cross upon which He was crucified will become the most powerful and decisive weapon of them all -- a true battering ram for the gates of hell (the devil's power of death), for they shall not prevail over His Church (Matthew 16:18).

 

 

 

 

 

 

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters

 

 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

 

- Luke 11:14-23 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sad at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."   And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

 

  And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Beelzebub was the name given to a pagan god (Ba'al, meaning Lord, usually attached to a name of a place where worship occurred).  This name may reflect derision by the Jews, characterizing him as "Lord of the Flies."  Here it is used as a direct reference to Satan, the ruler of the demons (see also verse 18).

 

 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  My study Bible comments that a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (see Luke 4:9-12).  

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."  My study Bible comments that the finger of God is the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 12:28).  Last Wednesday, the lectionary gave us the verses in chapter 11 just prior to today's section, in which Jesus teaches what we know as the Lord's Prayer to the disciples.  In Luke 11:13, just prior to today's passage, Jesus taught the disciples, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

 

 "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."  My study Bible says that the strong man is Satan, who holds sway over the fallen human race, while the stronger is Christ (see 1 John 4:4).  

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  My study Bible comments that it is the work of Christ to gather the children of God, while those who scatter are in direct opposition to God.  Those who work in opposition to Christ are different from those who work in good faith toward God's purpose but are not yet united to the Church (see Luke 9:46-50, found in this reading and commentary).  My study Bible quotes St. Seraphim of Sarov, noting that only "good deeds done for Christ's sake bring fruit," and therefore deeds done for any other purpose, "even if they are good, are deeds that scatter abroad."

Today's reading gives us Christ's words that speak of His power and authority, and its absolute sense especially in comparison to the demonic, or even to those things nominally good but done for reasons other than serving God.  In the reading from Wednesday, speaking after the return of the Seventy from their first apostolic mission, Jesus rejoiced that God the Father had seen fit to reveal things to "babes" which had been hidden from the "wise and prudent," and He said to the disciples that they had seen and heard what even "prophets and kings" had desired to see and hear, and had not.  But in the middle of these statements, He said of Himself, "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  (See Luke 10:21-24.)  In that same reading, the Seventy rejoiced that even the demons were subject to them in Christ's name, and Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (see Luke 10:17-20).  So, in today's reading, when Jesus is accused of casting out demons by the power of demons, He responds in this context with an image of an earthly war of kingdom against kingdom, to convey a spiritual reality. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? is a reasonable question, for it implies for us a sense of authority that Satan cannot surpass.  Note that Jesus says, "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."  Again, it not only gives us an image of warfare, in which kingdoms and nations fight against one another, but it also asks us to consider what armor in which we trust can stand against Christ, against the finger of God?  That is, against the Holy Spirit at work in the world.  It seems to beg us to ask ourselves, what is the armor in which we trust in our lives?  Can money withstand the power of the Holy Spirit?  What is it that cannot pass away with certainty?  We can lay out all our plans, and we can trust in material goods to see us through life, but what can we do without the values and meanings that transcend all of that?  What do we do when shocking and surprising things happen to shake us up, and take away the things in which we placed all of our trust?  These things we see every day, and are too numerous to mention.  But Christ warns us many times about trusting to material goods alone to shore up our lives and our well-being (for example, Luke 12:13-21).  Many times we trust in the armor of the world to save us from uncertainty, but uncertainty is an inherent condition of life, and accepting this serves as food to consider what it is in which we may trust that transcends and supersedes the things which can't and don't last forever.  What do we take with us when we leave the world?  What remains with us if we lose what we think we have?  Even to be good stewards of our material goods requires of us a set of values capable of building our lives on good ground, and understanding what God asks of us, even finding the discernment to deal with the questions that blessings bring to us for how we are to use them.  St. Paul writes, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10).  Note that he doesn't say this of money itself, but of the love of money.  That is, elevating the material to a place of armor in which one trusts even before Christ, the things one pursues at the expense of the love of God.  But if we put Christ first, this is the way to sort out and put in order how the rest of our lives must fall into place.  If we trust in the whole armor of God instead, then we are prepared for the varied currents of life, the changes our lives go through, the experiences through which we find what is real and timeless, and what is not.  It is also there we can find the wisdom to know what to do with our resources, what is good and truly valuable, and what is not.  Many people trust in wealth, possessions, friends, even family members, but they underestimate the misery and despair that is possible without a sense of relatedness to God.  Let us think about our armor, and what truly protects us through all things -- and in which we can truly trust.  Let us build our lives with Him.

 

 

 

 

It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found

 

Icon of the story of the Prodigal Son, 16th cent.   Khilandari Monastery, Mt Athos

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

* * *

Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants." ' And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.

Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the  fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "

 

- Luke 15:1–2, 11–32 

 

Yesterday we read that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.  Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, swept the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." 

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."   We begin today's reading with the setting from yesterday's reading.  In response to the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus told the parable of the Lost Sheep, and the parable of the Lost Coin (see yesterday's reading, above).  Each parable was given to illustrate the heavenly joy over a repentant sinner, at finding and reclaiming someone who had been lost.  Then He told them the parable of the Lost Son (also known as the parable of the Prodigal Son), which is what we're given in today's reading.  My study Bible says that the man in the first parable, the woman in the second, and the father in today's reading are considered in patristic literature to represent successively Christ, the Church, and God the Father.  St. Ambrose of Milan comments, "Christ carries the sinner, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."

Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living."   In the son's request for his portion of goods, the Greek word ousia/οὐσία is used for "goods."  This word literally means "essence" (sometimes used as "substance").  My study Bible says that it indicates humankind receiving free will and a rational mind from God.  As did Adam in Eden, the younger son uses these possessions to rebel against his father.  The far country represents life in exile from God.

"But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything."  My study Bible says that feeding swine could rightly be called "Jewish Skid Row," and that he could not sink much lower.

 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants." ' And he arose and came to his father."  It's significant that the text says, "He came to himself."  My study Bible comments that a person immersed in sin is living outside of one's true self (Romans 7:17-20).   The prodigal recognizes that his is a hopeless condition.  The bread is a symbol of Christ, who is known both through the Scriptures and also through the Eucharist. 

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."   In Jewish culture of the time, it was considered unseemly for an old man to run.  But the father in Christ's parable does not passively stand by waiting for his son to return -- he ran to him.  My study Bible says that this self-humiliation for the sake of the lost indicates the way in which our Father, through Christ's sacrifice, actively seeks those who stray.

"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'   But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet."   My study Bible explains that there is symbolic significance to each of the things the father gives to his son.  The robe signifies righteousness granted by baptism (Isaiah 61:10), the signet ring is family identity (Haggai 2:23), and the sandals refer to walking according to the gospel (Ephesians 6:15).  

"And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry."   Fatted calf is more closely translated from the Greek as "wheat-fed bull-calf," my study Bible comments. Even more literally is means "a bull-calf formed from wheat."  This would be a male calf which would be raised on wheat in preparation for specific use as a religious offering.  As the reconciliation of the prodigal son would not be complete without the sacrifice of the calf, so our reconciliation to God not done by repentance only, but by Christ offering Himself on the Cross out of love for us.  My study Bible says that the festive dining on an animal offering "formed from wheat" is a clear reference to our partaking of the eucharistic bread. 

"Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the  fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in."  My study Bible tells us that the resentful older son is an illustration of the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees to whom Christ is telling this parable.  It cites the commentary of St. Cyril of Alexandria, who writes that God requires the faithful to rejoice when even the most blamable person is called to repentance.

Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "  The elder son says to his father:  "I never transgressed your commandment at any time."  This statement truly invites comparison to the Pharisees and scribes, as Christ has often portrayed them.  My study Bible says that the failure of the older son to recognize his own sins leads to his self-righteous and merciless attitude.  This is in contrast to the contrition of the young son.  St. Ambrose of Milan is quoted as saying, "The one who seems to himself to be righteous, who does not see the beam in his own eye, becomes angry when forgiveness is granted to the one who confesses his sin and begs for mercy."   The ingratitude of the older son is also clear when he states that "you never gave me a young goat" to his father, who has already given him "all that I have."

Sometimes we can't help but evoke the jealousy or envy of others.  This is just one thing made clear in the story of the Prodigal Son (or the Lost Son, a title which highlights the nature of Christ's response to the Pharisees).  Jesus tells this parable, as He did the two parables in yesterday's reading (above), in order to illustrate the immense joy in all of heaven over even one sinner who repents -- someone who was lost to heaven but who returns through repentance.  So it is with this younger son.  But if we look at the older son, it's important to understand that he has always had all that the father owned at his disposal.  This is not a stingy or mean father, but one with immense, boundless love for his sons, and great generosity that accompanies it.  But the older son nevertheless envies the young when he returns, as he sees the father's joy clearly expressed in this reunion banquet.  Perhaps he feels taken for granted, or he's simply failed to understand his father's love for him.  Possibly he does not know the difference between a kind of obedience that is about following the rules, and one borne of love and loyalty.  There is an interesting story in the Old Testament, about Jacob wrestling with a mysterious person, and finally receiving a blessing (Genesis 32:22-31).  Jacob says afterward, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."  The notion that wrestling with God is a good thing takes us to a place where we are to understand that love is not a legalistic form of servitude, but one of communion, of addressing difficult issues, and in particular our own ways of thinking that might need change, repentance, reconsidering.  And there we find the older brother:  perfect in every way, but not perfect in understanding and accepting the fullness of what love is.  The "lost son" was not necessarily wrong because he went away, but he was wrong in his prodigal and wasteful behavior, in not realizing what he had and who he was.  He failed to treat his father's gift with respect.  His going away was, in effect, a selfish act and an expression of his own blindness.  But in the older brother we see a similar blindness in terms of his understanding of the love of the father.  Love of God invites a joy when that love is shared and renewed in others.  It invites us to be expansive, and not limited in our understanding of grace and its infinite capacities for us and for others as well.  We are not diminished when love is a circle, but rather, we are expanded. Envy seems to be at the heart of so many ills, a type of root sin that causes problem after problem in Scripture, including in the angels who rebel against God.  This is a type of pride and selfishness, an unwillingness to understand humility as leading to gracious and abundant life.  The lost son's loss of everything, his "rock bottom" in being forced to feed and eat the food of swine due to his reduced circumstances, actually serves as a favor for his true well-being and realization of who he is.  When everything is stripped away, we stand a chance to come to terms with who we really are, and to realize the love of God which is always there for us when it seems like nothing else is.  We can take pride in our possessions and good fortune, including our own image of perfection, and take everything else for granted.  This is a false confidence that results in envy, a false kind of sense of self that is betrayed by its own lack of understanding of God's unlimited and abundant love, and our own need to grow in that love as well.  Let us contend with our own failure to take root and confidence in God's ever-surprising and eye-opening love, and see where it leads us in life.  We may find that life is even more infinitely abundant than we thought -- and that we in turn may be expanded ourselves.  In the icon above, the story shows Christ as the character of the father, and we are meant to understand the love and forgiveness of Christ, the repentance that turns us back to finding our place with Him, and with the angels above, who rejoice.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, "Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

- Matthew 25:14-30

In our recent readings, Jesus has been teaching the disciples about the end times, and the time of His Second Coming.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, "Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"   My study bible says that this parable illustrates the use of gifts given by God.  We need to understand that even one talent, at the time of Christ, was a great sum of money.  But here in Jesus' parable it represents the goodness that God has given to each person.  The amount that each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  In the ultimate reward however, God does not show partiality, as all are invited to share in the same joy.  The wicked and lazy servant, on the other hand, could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent.  My study bible says that idleness is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.  To bury the talent in the ground is an illustration of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits.  The bankers represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use talents wisely.  As there is help available in the Church and from its wealth of traditions, the man hasn't got an excuse.

What are talents, really?  What are they for?  We tend to think of talents as things that are worthwhile only if we can parlay them into some form of remuneration, something profitable in our own lives that can generate an income.  While it's naturally appropriate that we each need to consider our way in the world, it's also appropriate to consider ourselves as people of faith.  Even making our way in the world still comes under the heading of living our lives as those who love God.  How do we reconcile the two?  It's important to recognize that spiritual growth, and the growth of virtue in terms of our relationship to God and to neighbor, isn't really left out of any part of our lives.  Our lives aren't divided up into the life we live as faithful and then a separate life as part of "the world" (6:24).   It's all part of a whole.  What serves our faith life is also good for the rest of our lives.  God gives us talents to learn to develop and to express, and it can indeed be mysterious how those talents serve God's purposes.  What gets to be truly confusing and slavish is thinking that our lives are simply about plugging into what's available in the world, and not about a wholistic sense of the God who knows all the things we need but who also creates us as individuals with particular gifts.  One may have a gift of intelligence for a particular subject, another may love car engines, still another a passion for creating order.  Even our gifts for humility may serve us well in terms of how we express ourselves and even make a living in the world.   One may find that an intensive prayer life actually helps us to create and find the gifts and talents that help us in the rest of our lives.  Prayer can nurture talents in a number of ways, helping us to focus, to calm anxieties, to put into perspective insights into our lives, and to order our lives.   What the parable seems to suggest to us is that burying who we truly are, ways in which God has blessed us with gifts in one way or another, is the truly great sin.  Splitting our lives into the things we need to do in the world and neglecting the internal life where we find God's gifts isn't effective in terms of living the full and spiritually profitable life we need.  This fullness of life comes from finding ourselves within that relationship to God who created us and blessed us with innate capacities.  Let us turn to our Source to help us to find true talent and capabilities and ways to develop them as we are called to in each of our lives, for God's purposes.  We might be highly surprised at the capacities we find and talents we may multiply and use in our lives, with God's help.  What we trust in God to do is lead us to use our skills for God's purposes.  In the context of Jesus' discourse on end times and His Second Coming, we understand that this is our direction for being truly good servants, caring for all that God has placed in our charge.