Doubling Talents: Growing in Virtue

Homily for the Thirty-Third Sunday of Year A

by Fr. Tommy Lane

Think of all the gifts and graces and blessings we have received from God. They are too numerous to list them all. We received the gift of life, family, friends, work, education, home, and all the conveniences of life. We can move up to a higher level of appreciation. We have received the gift of faith, forgiveness of our sins through Jesus’ death and resurrection, continuing relationship with Jesus through Mass and the sacraments, prayer, Sacred Scripture, and the gift of his mother Mary as our spiritual mother also. How much do we value each of the blessings we have received? What do we make of what God has given to us? Are we selfish and lazy with what God has given to us or do we put it to good use?

St. Gregory the Great (Homily 18 of Forty Homilies) understood the parable taught by Jesus in today’s Gospel (Matt 25:14-30) this way: the man who went on a journey is Jesus, the journey was Jesus’ ascension to heaven and while we await his Second Coming we have each been given talents by the Lord and we will be judged by how we use them.

In the parable we can see those who made good use of their talents being judged well, “Come, share your master’s joy” (Matt 25:21,23) The one who did not put the talents to good use suffered at the judgment: “throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” (Matt 25:30) We can imagine the shock for him. He had been lazy and made excuses: “I heard you were a hard man….” Do we make up excuses?

There is always a link between the first reading and the Gospel. Something in the first reading is fulfilled or reflected in the Gospel. The worthy or perfect wife in the first reading (Prov 31) is someone who received many talents and, as we heard, she put them all to good use. As a result, “Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize.” (Prov 31:11)

The second reading (1 Thes 5:1-6) urges us to be ready for judgment. One way of being ready for judgment is to use the talents well as Jesus taught in the Gospel.

I would like to see the talents in the parable taught by Jesus (Matt 25:14-30) referring to virtues. A virtue is a good habit built up over time by practicing what is good. So a virtue is something that increases as we do the right thing. Just as virtues increase by doing good, virtues also help us to do good. Virtues help us to control our passions and our conduct. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says virtues “make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life” and they “are acquired by human effort.” (Catechism §1804) In other words, just as the first two men in the parable worked to increase their talents, we also have to work to increase our virtues. Virtues do not increase if we do nothing.

There are four main human virtues and we call them human virtues for the simple reason that they “are acquired by human effort” (Catechism §1804), by education, and by perseverance. The four are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance (see Catechism §§1803-1811). In the parable, the first two men traded and doubled their talents. With the human virtues we can double our talents:

  • Prudence helps us discern what is truly good as we make judgments.

  • Justice is giving to God and neighbor what is their due.

  • Fortitude is conquering fear to be be firm during difficulties, and constantly wanting what is good.

  • Temperance helps us master our will, moderate pleasure and balance our consumption of goods.

That really is a doubling of the talents.

There are three theological virtues. (see Catechism §§1812-1829) These virtues are poured into us by God and so we call them theological virtues. They are faith, hope, and charity. In the parable, the first two men traded and doubled their talents. With the theological virtues we open ourselves up to God and his activity in our lives and can double our talents:

  • Faith is believing all that God has said and revealed to us and leads to witnessing our faith and doing good works.

  • Hope is desiring heaven and eternal life and purifying our activities to reach the goal of heaven

  • Charity is loving God above all things, and loving our neighbor for the sake of God.

As we grow in faith, hope, and charity, we grow in God’s image and likeness. That is a doubling of the talents.

There is yet one more way I like to look at the talents in the parable. When we were confirmed, the bishop prayed that we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is the bishop’s prayer: “Give them the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of right judgment and courage, the Spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the Spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.” In the parable the first two men traded and doubled their talents. When we are open to the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can produce the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity. (Catechism §§1830-1832)

The first two men in the parable doubled their talents. The third man buried his talent and so it was taken from him. It is like that with the virtues; we are either growing in virtue or vice—we do not stand still. It is like scales or a balance; the more virtues we have, the less vices we have, and the more vices we have, the less virtues we have. We can allow the gifts of the Holy Spirit to lie dormant or we can cooperate and allow the Holy Spirit to bear fruits in our lives. Surely the parable teaches that salvation is neither simply a question of “once saved, always saved” nor that once you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior then everything is okay from then. Surely the parable is teaching us that spiritual growth is ongoing for the rest of our lives. It is not a question of once saved, always saved, but growing in virtue and the fruits of the spirit for the rest of our lives.

May we double the talents, increasing our virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, and allow the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity open us up ever more to God and his activity in our lives and so allow the gifts of the Holy Spirit to bear fruits in our lives so that we may be worthy to hear, “Come, share your master’s joy” (Matt 25:21,23)

Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 2008

This homily was delivered in a parish in Maryland.

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Doubling our talents in loving relationship with our heavenly Father 2020

Now is an important and exciting time to double the talents 2011