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

 

 "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.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'   His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been 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 speaking of the end times to His disciples (beginning with this reading).  In yesterday's reading, He told another parable regarding our own conduct and disposition during this "time of the end" in which we await His return:  "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."

 

  "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.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'   His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been 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 explains that this parable illustrates the use of gifts given by God.  Let us bear in mind that, contrary to the meaning of the word "talent" in modern English (which grew out of the hearing of this parable), a talent originally indicated a great deal of money.  In Christ's time, it was a particular weight for measuring precious metals, silver or gold.  It was the largest unit of weight.  In modern terms, one silver talent was equivalent to the wages earned by a common laborer over the course of twenty years.  So, even one talent was a great sum of money.  But here Jesus uses the term to represent the goodness which God has bestowed on each person.  My study Bible comments that the amount each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  It says that God does not show partiality in the ultimate reward, for all are invited to share the same joy.  (That they share the same joy is in tandem with Christ's parable of the Workers in the Vineyard; Matthew 20:1-16.)  The wicked and lazy servant, however, could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent, for idleness is as much  rejection of God as outright wickedness, according to my study Bible.  To bury his talent in the ground is an image of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits.  The bankers, according to my study Bible, represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use his talents wisely.  As help was available to him in the Church, the man is left with no excuse.

 

 The term talents, and talent, has come down to us with a particular meaning in modern English thanks to this very parable as told by Christ.  The great sum of money that a talent represented (in Greek τάλαντον/talanton; plural τάλαντα/talanta) should not be underestimated.  This was far more than the average person could hope to have, and was a sum only kings or other very wealthy people could deal in for great projects.  So, when Jesus uses this word, we cannot overestimate the kind of wealth such gift or endowment represented.  It frames for us the significant weight or substance (literally and figuratively) Jesus gives to the gifts that God endows us with, and so, we should never underestimate the weight or value of our own God-given gifts we're born with.  For this is Christ's perspective.  If you will, it is clearly God's perspective on us as human beings.  Sometimes, it seems to me, we simply don't realize what talents we actually have.  A talent doesn't have to be something that is easily visible to others like a talent for performance such as dance or voice.  Neither does it have to be something that makes a marker of achievement like an intellectual capacity for particular subjects, or a skill set such as carpentry.  If we look at the history of the saints in the Church, there are those notable saints who had talents or gifts for all kinds of things valuable and essential to the Church.  A very famous saint, one completely instrumental and essential to the very early Church and its foundation is St. Barnabas.  Barnabas had a particular gift for consolation.  His name is translated as Son of Encouragement a quality so important to others in the Church at the time that it is recorded for us in the Book of Acts (see Acts 4:36).  Such a gift was so valued that the name that we know him by was given to him with that meaning.  We might think about talents as those things that can be translated into high visible achievement and the garnering of wealth as a result, but this is not the way that talent -- nor profit, for that matter -- is to be understood in the parable.  For how do we measure the profits gained by the Church from St. Barnabas' talent for encouragement of others, for consolation?  A talent, therefore, is not necessarily something tangible or material, but rather denotes something we can use and contribute in the Church as a whole.  Do we have a talent for listening to others?  This is often effective consolation in and of itself.  Do we have a skill for working in a kitchen?  How often can Churches use that kind of help?  Are we capable of a smile when others need it, or words of encouragement?  Sometimes a helpful word in the right ear directs help to a person who might not even be aware of just who made a person their beneficiary.  Clearly, even anonymous help is still the use of our talents to benefit the Church as a whole, by helping even one person in an indirect way.  Most of the time we don't need a perfect voice to sing in a Church choir, nor to enthusiastically join in participation during a service.  And so often, simply being willing to ask the question, "How can I help?" is in itself a gift to someone feeling alone with their suffering.  Although a talent was an undreamed of sum of wealth for the average person in Christ's time, Jesus is telling us that our gifts -- the things God has given us, which we might take for granted, or even of which we may be entire unaware -- are worth great sums in value and substance in His Church.  And since we can recognize this from His parable, it behooves us to consider what we might have that, even if often unvalued in a worldly sense or overlooked by others, actually function as great talents which create profit in the Church, by which we become benefactors to the kingdom of heaven.  When Jesus is telling the apostles about the end times, He describes a time when "because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).  There are many who lament, in our modern Western societies, the loss of what is called common courtesy, in the ways in which not so long ago society more or less functioned with basic rules of politeness even between strangers.  Those of us old enough to remember a particular saying will recall being told, "Good manners cost nothing."  But a particular small word of politeness can almost move mountains in today's world when wrath or rudeness has become common; perhaps it will save a person's bad day to be treated with just that much respect.  When it comes to financial donation, even a small sum can help an institution that's struggling, or a person who needs help.  Having worked in a food pantry for those who needed some groceries, I can testify to the value of even one good word of encouragement for people who are struggling with poverty and need hope to keep trying.  We can't always be certain of outcomes, but God wants our participation.  We're to be engaged in this Kingdom, to do what we can with the things we might not even know we have.  In a very materially oriented world, there are so many ways in which we can overlook the great gifts God has given us, and count ourselves impoverished in some sense of that word.  But God knows what we have; let us not let it rest "in the ground," but meet the challenges of life with our active work and engagement, not undervaluing the Lord who gives us good gifts, nor ourselves to whom God has given them.  For this, too, is part of the struggle of faith and grace. In a time of personal suffering, even our woundedness can be given over to God in the mysterious ways that this combats the evil in our world, even as our Lord suffered on the Cross.  St. Paul writes that in a time of struggle in prayer with an unrelenting illness, he was told by the Lord, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  St. Paul writes, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Sometimes we just don't know what the Lord can magnify, even when we start with but a little (Matthew 14:17; 15:33).  Let us not forget the valuable gifts we might overlook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes

 

 Now as he drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And He was teaching daily in the temple.  But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.

 

- Luke 19:41-48 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus went up toward Jerusalem.  When He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"  So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.  But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?"  And they said, "The Lord has need of him."  Then they brought him to Jesus.  And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.  And as they went, many spread their clothes on the road.   Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." 

 

 "Now as he drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes."  Jerusalem, as noted in yesterday's reading, means "foundation of peace."   My study Bible comments that only faith in Christ brings true peace, which is a truth hidden from a city which will soon rebel against its Savior.  There is a kind of peace which is shallow, which comes from ignoring issues of truth.  There is a genuine peace, my study Bible explains, which is reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, it says, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see Luke 12:51, 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).  

"For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."  This destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus foretells here would come in AD 70.  It is quite true that one stone would not be left upon another in the destruction of the temple.  My study Bible adds that this also describes the spiritual end of every person who lacks faith.

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And He was teaching daily in the temple.  But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 in His scathing indictment of these practices in the temple.  Those who bought and sold in it were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers were trading Roman coins for Jewish coins, as Roman coins bore the image of Caesar (worshiped as a god) and were therefore considered to be defiling in the temple.  My study Bible adds that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  Each person is considered to be a temple of God, St. Paul writes (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), and so it's a sign as well that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  

 

Let us note again the great divisions in Jerusalem made evident in the text.  It tells us that while the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people sought to destroy Jesus, all the people were very attentive to hear Him.  Jesus laments over Jerusalem itself, showing His love for the city and its people and its spiritual heritage.  He says, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes."   The text ties this statement to the destruction of Jerusalem that would come in AD 70, when the temple would be destroyed by Roman soldiers, and tremendous devastation would occur to the city and its people.  What are the things that make for Jerusalem's peace?  Clearly Christ Himself is central to that peace, as my study Bible indicates.  That is, the person of Christ Himself, His teachings, His fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Himself (Matthew 5:17-20).  Should He have been welcomed as Messiah, or the religious leaders accepting His teachings regarding the kingdom of God, we might well wonder what would have happened instead of the ultimate destruction of the city in the first century.  As noted in yesterday's reading, Jerusalem remains a city with its divisions and turmoils and even violence.  So we have to ask, where is our peace?  How do we find it?  The world is rife with divisions, and even the citations in my study Bible point us to St. Paul's addressing of the divisions within the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:17-19).  How do we address our own divisions, and our own need for peace?  We first of all must place our faith in Christ, for it is there that peace is to be found.  This is a peace that means a reconciliation with God, and not simply a healing of division for its own sake.  There are also times when truth -- and true peace -- is covered up because it is not what people truly want.  Every sort of selfish ambition seems to get in the way.  The leaders in the temple are zealously guarding their places, and do not want Christ recognized as an authority separately -- and in open opposition -- to themselves.  They do not want to recognize His authority or divinity.  They resent His disciples' heralding His entry into Jerusalem as Messiah.  As for the common people in the temple at this time of the Passover, they delight to hear Him.  But John's Gospel tells us that at an earlier festival, the people are also divided amongst themselves regarding Jesus (John 7:12), which we can presume remains true at this crucial point in the final Passover of Christ's life.  At that same festival, the people ask one another, "But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?" (John 7:26).  So the Gospels present to us a picture of the dissension and divisions surrounding Jesus, the people's suspicion of their own rulers, the power held onto so zealously by the leaders in the temple, and the use of state power to come in order to condemn Jesus and put Him to death.  But again, we have to ask ourselves, what are the things that make for our peace?  Can we center ourselves in Christ?  Clearly these divisions all betray selfish and even financial motivations.  Jesus' first action in the temple indicates an important message to us about our divisions and our conflicting motives in life.  Can we submit our desires to Christ?  Can we put His kingdom first and our communion in it with Him?  Is that where and how our peace is found?  Even within the church at Corinth, when St. Paul writes of their divisions, he seems to bring up the divisions that lead strife among them in sharing the supper meant to unite them:  "Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.  For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk" (1 Corinthians 11:20-21).  Selfish desire leads the way, even at a communal gathering.  The great divisions within Jerusalem are the stuff of the strife of nations, and will become a major turning point in the history of the world, its civilizations, and empires -- while the discussion of the supper at the Corinth church is a division among what is small and intimate.  But each tells us of the importance of our own peace and where we find it and how we find it.  Our lives need to be centered in Christ, and it is for this that He will make His sacrifice out of which we receive the true mystical supper, the spiritual reality of the Eucharist.  For on the Cross, He will make His voluntary plea for our peace, and He will give us the true food and drink of that peace and that life in abundance.  The solution remains the same, even among the divisions and strife, big and small, that mark our world.  Let us remember, for our own part, to go to the place where we find that peace, and in turn offer all things back to Christ -- even our strife and division.

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 servants; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been 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 his 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 giving a discourse to the disciples in the end times, and His Ssecond Coming.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins:  "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."

 

 "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 servants; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been 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 his 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.'"  In the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (given in yesterday's reading; see above), the concern given was with the lamps which should have been full of oil, an image correlated with mercy and the grace of the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible says that today's parable illustrates the use of gifts given by God.  Even one talent was a huge sum of money (a talent was a certain weight's worth of precious metal, usually silver but also gold).  Here it represents the goodness which God has bestowed on each person.  The amount each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  My study Bible notes that God does not show partiality in the ultimate reward, for all are invited to share in the same joy.   But note that the wicked and lazy servant could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent; my study Bible comments that idleness is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.  To bury a talent in the ground is an illustration of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits.  The bankers, according to my study Bible, represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use his talents wisely.  As help was available to him in the Church, the man doesn't have an excuse. 

 

 In today's parable, there is a great deal of emphasis on the positive.  That is, on the positive action of doing something with the talents given by the man to his servants.  Again, it is imaged in St. Paul's expression of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  What do we produce with the things God has given to us?  How are we capable of expressing fruit of the spirit?  The word "talent," as one may presume, has come to have its present meaning in English from this story.  Its original meaning was as a weight measure for precious metal, value as currency or exchange.  But as we can see from the parable, the product of the talent(s) or investment of the master is all about what is a bountiful blessing for the estate of the master.  The servants don't keep the profit; it all becomes a part of the servants' profitable work for the master whom they serve, and the growth of that estate.  So we're mistaken if we assume that this is simply about doing something with the talents we're given, or making a profit or career for ourselves somehow; the parable is not directed toward a self-centered perspective.  With what does God invest us?  What gifts are we given from God?  We no doubt have many innate talents with which we might be born.  But we're also given a gift in baptism; and the greatest grace we're given is that of the Holy Spirit.  Certainly in the great communion of saints, some are blessed with particular gifts they're known for.  For example, St. Barnabas, one-time companion of St. Paul, who himself had brought Paul to the apostles (Acts 9:27), was named for his gift of encouragement or consolation (see Acts 4:36-37).  As he contributed this particular gift to the early Church and the growing ministry of the apostles, so the name they gave him reflected the great value of his contribution.  In this sense, we can come to understand the nature of the talents given by the master and what results we produce.  So often we confuse talent with something that is monetarily profitable, but this is not the point of the parable.  The point of the parable is how we share those gifts and make the estate grow, build it up and edify it.   Again, in these early passages about St. Paul, we read in the Book of Acts that when Barnabas first brought the then-named Saul to the apostles, no one would speak to him, for they were all afraid of him and his past history of persecution of the followers of Christ.  But Paul's testimony thanks to Barnabas, and his gift of speaking, soon came to the attention of the community.  Included in Paul's gifts was his relatively sophisticated knowledge of Greek, so that in the wider Greek-speaking world, and when Gentiles began to come into the Church, Paul would prove so greatly valuable.  In Acts 11, we read, "Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:25-26).  Of course, this doesn't simply mean formal gifts to the Church per se; to serve the kingdom of God, to serve our true Master, is in the ways in which we reflect the grace we're given and choose to live our lives with respect to the kinds of righteousness God wishes as part of God's will for our world ("Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven").  We can use our gifts as did St. Barnabas, to console and encourage others.  We can use our gifts as did St. Paul, to edify and spread faith in all ways, to help understand and explain, and to testify.  Note how it is St. Paul's very experience of conversion that become a part of the "talent" he's given to take out to the world and produce spiritual fruit, to expand the Kingdom in the world.  We can all participate in this kind of action -- of putting our faith and the love of God into action of our own in the world, in the ways in which we choose to relate to others, and the kind of gifts we reflect in the world.   Let us keep in mind that it is most important that it is a prayerful life that leads us to use our talents in ways that please God:  we may find that we're asked to contribute beauty to others through artistic talents of all kinds.  A beautiful garden can uplift even as we've seen many gardens dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, who through the Holy Spirit, gave birth to the greatest gift of all, the beauty therein reminiscent of what has been given to us all and reminding us of the prayer and beauty of Mary and her example to us.  There are an infinite number of ways in which whatever gifts we have -- even those which may be overlooked -- can be directed in prayer for the great fruitfulness of the spirit in this world.  For just as Christ was born into the world with the cooperation of Mary, this is how each of us may also cooperate with the Holy Spirit through our "yes" and our willingness to be profitable servants (Luke 1:38).