At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: A certain man, going abroad, called his servants and delivered to them his goods. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability, and immediately he set out. And he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained another five. Likewise he who had received the two, gained another two. But he who had received the one, going away, dug in the earth and hid his lord's money. But after a long time the lord of those servants came and reckoned accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came and offered another five talents, saying: Lord,
you delivered to me five talents; behold, I have gained another five. His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant; because you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many; enter into the joy of your lord. And he also who had received the two talents came and said: Lord, you delivered to me two talents; behold, I have gained another two. His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant; because you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many; enter into the joy of your lord. And he also who had received the one talent came and said: Lord, I know that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter; and being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the earth; behold, here you have what is yours.
But his lord answering said to him: Wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I do not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; you ought therefore to have given my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, it shall be given, and he shall abound; but from him who has not, even that which he seems to have shall be taken away from him. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The reading of the holy Gospel, dearly beloved brethren, admonishes us to consider solicitously, lest we, who seem to have received from the Author of the world something more than others in this world, be more grievously judged for it.
For when gifts are increased, the reckonings of the gifts also grow. Each one therefore ought to be so much the more humble and readier to serve because of the gift, the more he sees himself the more bound in rendering an account. Behold, a man who goes abroad calls his servants and distributes talents to them for business. But after a long time he returns to settle accounts, rewards those who have worked well according to the profit brought in, but condemns the servant grown torpid from good work. Who then is this man who goes abroad, but our Redeemer, who in the flesh He had assumed went away into heaven? For the proper place of the flesh is the earth, which is led as it were to a foreign land when through our Redeemer it is set in heaven.
But this man going abroad delivered his goods to his servants, because to his faithful ones he granted spiritual gifts. And to one indeed five talents, to another two, and to another he committed one. For the senses of the body are five, namely sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. By the five talents, therefore, the gift of the five senses, that is, the knowledge of external things, is expressed. By the two, understanding and action are designated. But by the name of the one talent, understanding alone is designated. But he who had received the five talents gained another five, because there are some who, even if they know not how to penetrate inward and mystical things, yet out of intent for the heavenly homeland teach right things to those whom they can, from those very external matters which they have received;
and while they guard themselves from the wantonness of the flesh, from the ambition for earthly things, and from the pleasure of visible things, they by admonishing restrain others also from these. And there are some who, as it were enriched with two talents, receive understanding and action, understand subtle things concerning inward matters, work wondrous things in external affairs; and while by both understanding and working they preach to others, they bring back as it were a doubled gain from the business. And it is well that another five or another two are said to have come into gain, because while preaching is bestowed upon both sexes, the talents received are as it were doubled. But he who had received the one talent, going away, dug in the earth and hid his lord's money.
To hide the talent in the earth is to employ the received ability in earthly deeds, not to seek spiritual gain, never to lift the heart from earthly thoughts. For there are some who have received the gift of understanding, yet savor only the things that are of the flesh. Concerning whom it is said through the prophet: 'They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have not known' (Jeremiah 4:22). But the Lord, who bestowed the talents, returns to settle accounts, because He who now dutifully bestows spiritual gifts strictly requires the merits at the judgment, considers what each has received, and weighs what gain he brings back from what he has received.
The servant who brought back the doubled talents is praised by his lord and is led to eternal recompense, when it is said to him by the Lord's voice: 'Well done, good and faithful servant; because you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many; enter into the joy of your lord.' For all the things of the present life are few, however many they may seem, in comparison with the eternal retribution. But then the faithful servant is set over many things when, all the mortality of corruption being overcome, he glories in eternal joys in that heavenly seat.
He is then perfectly admitted into the joy of his lord, when, taken up into that eternal homeland and mingled with the companies of angels, he so inwardly rejoices in the gift that there is nothing left for him to grieve over outwardly concerning corruption. But the servant who would not work with his talent returns to his lord with words of excuse, saying: Lord, I know that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter; and being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the earth; behold, here you have what is yours. It is to be noted that the unprofitable servant calls his lord hard, whom nevertheless he neglects to serve for profit, and says that he feared to spend the talent for gain, who ought to have feared this alone: to bring it back to his lord without gain.
For there are very many within holy Church, whose image this servant holds, who fear to enter upon the ways of a better life, and yet do not dread to lie in the sloth of their own torpor; and while they consider themselves sinners, they tremble to seize the ways of holiness, and are not afraid to remain in their own iniquities. Of whom Peter, while still placed in weakness, holds the likeness, when, having seen the miracle of the fishes, he said: 'Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man' (Luke 5:8). Nay rather, if you consider yourself a sinner, it behooves you not to repel the Lord from you.
But those who therefore refuse to lay hold of the ways of a better condition and the citadel of a more upright life, because they perceive themselves to be weak, as it were both confess themselves sinners and repel the Lord, and flee Him whom they ought to have sanctified within themselves, and as though in confusion they have no counsel, since they die and yet fear life. Whence to this servant it is at once answered: Wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I do not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; you ought therefore to have given my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. By his own words the servant is bound fast when the lord says: I reap where I do not sow, and gather where I did not scatter. As if he plainly said:
If, according to your own sentence, I even require that which I did not give, how much more do I require from you what I gave to be paid out? You ought therefore to have given my money to the bankers; and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Now to give money to the bankers is to bestow the knowledge of preaching upon those who are able to exercise it. But just as you see our peril if we hold back the Lord's money, so, dearly beloved brethren, weigh solicitously your own, because it is required of you with interest what you hear. For in interest, even money not given is received. For when that which had been received is repaid, that also is added over which was not received.
Weigh therefore, dearly beloved brethren, that from this received money of the word you will pay interest, and take care that from what you hear you may also strive to understand other things which you do not hear, so that, gathering some things from others, you may learn also to do of yourselves those things which you have not yet learned from the preacher's mouth. But let us hear with what sentence He strikes the slothful servant: Take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. It seemed very fitting that when the one talent is taken from the wicked servant, it should be given rather to him who had received two than to him who had received five. For it ought to have been given to him who had less than to him who had more.
But, as we said above, by the five talents, namely the five senses, that is, the knowledge of external things is designated; but by the two, understanding and action are expressed. He therefore had more who received the two than he who received the five talents, because he who by the five talents merited the administration of external things was still empty of the understanding of inward things. The one talent, therefore, which we said signifies understanding, ought to have been given to him who well ministered the external things which he had received.
Which we behold daily in holy Church, that very many, while they minister well the external things they receive, are through added grace led also to mystical understanding, so that those who faithfully administer external things may also be strong in inward understanding. A general sentence is then soon subjoined, in which it is said: For to everyone who has, it shall be given, and he shall abound; but from him who has not, even that which he seems to have shall be taken away from him. For to him who has it shall be given, and he shall abound, because whoever has charity receives the other gifts also. Whoever has not charity loses even the gifts which he seemed to have received. Whence it is necessary, my brethren, that in everything you do you watch over the keeping of charity.
Now true charity is to love a friend in God, and to love an enemy for the sake of God. Whoever does not have this loses every good that he has, is deprived of the talent he had received, and, according to the Lord's sentence, is cast into the outer darkness. For by punishment he falls into the outer darkness who by his own fault willingly fell into the inner darkness; and there he suffers, compelled, the darkness of vengeance, who here willingly endured the darkness of pleasure. But it is to be known that no slothful man is secure from this receiving of a talent. For there is no one who can truly say: I received no talent at all; there is no reason why I should be compelled to render an account.
For under the name of a talent, even this very thing shall be reckoned to any poor man, that he received even the least. For one has received understanding: he owes the ministry of preaching from his talent. Another has received earthly substance: he owes the giving out of his talent from his goods. Another has received neither the understanding of inward things nor the abundance of goods, yet has learned a craft by which he is fed: that very craft is reckoned to him in the receiving of a talent. Another has attained none of these things, yet perhaps has merited a place of familiarity with a rich man: he has assuredly received the talent of familiarity. If, therefore, he speaks nothing to him on behalf of the needy, he is condemned for the withholding of his talent.
Therefore let him who has understanding take all care that he not keep silent; let him who has abundance of goods be watchful lest he grow sluggish in the bounty of mercy; let him who possesses an art by which men are governed strive earnestly to share its use and benefit with his neighbour; let him who has a place to speak in the presence of the rich man fear damnation for the talent he has held back, if, when he is able, he does not intercede before him on behalf of the poor. For the Judge who is to come will exact from each one of us just as much as He has given. Therefore, that each may be secure concerning the reckoning of his talent when the Lord returns, let him weigh trembling each day what he has received. For behold, it is now near that He who has departed into a far country should return. For He as it were went abroad who departed far from this earth on which He was born;
but assuredly He returns, that He may render the reckoning of the talents; for if we grow sluggish in good action, He judges us the more strictly concerning those very gifts which He bestowed. Let us therefore consider what we have received, and be watchful in the dispensing of it. Let no earthly care hinder us from the spiritual work, lest, if the talent be hidden in the earth, the lord of the talent be provoked to wrath. For the slothful servant, when the Judge is now examining faults, lifts the talent from the earth; for there are very many who then withdraw themselves from earthly desires or works when they are already being dragged by the Judge's chastisement to eternal punishment.
1453:20
Anteergodetalentinostriponendarationevigilemus, utcumjamjudexadferiendumimminet, lucrumnosquodfecimusexcuset. QuodpræstetnobisDeus, quivivit, etc.
Let us therefore be watchful in rendering beforehand the reckoning of our talent, so that when the Judge now stands ready to strike, the gain which we have made may excuse us. Which may God grant us, who lives, etc.