The Parable of the Talents. which we read today in Luke 19: 11-28 is also found in Matthew 25,14-30 and in a much shorter version in Mark 13, 34.
Why is Jesus so hard on the servant with one talent? A crucial point in the parable is that the Master entrusts talents to his servants according to what they can do. He gives to each one “according to his ability,” Matthew says. God certainly doesn’t expect anyone to do what’s beyond one’s ability, but God does expect us to use what we have, to trade till he comes, to live responsibly.
This is a lazy servant, who could do something and doesn’t do it. In a subtle way he blames his Master instead of himself. I suppose we might say, he’s guilty of sloth.
Sloth doesn’t seem to be a big sin. Pride, lust, anger, envy are more notorious. But sloth brings on inertia, uncaring, non-involvement that prevents the coming of the kingdom.
St. Paul the Apostle saw it as a problem in his community at Thessalonika, it seems. “Anyone who would not work, should not eat. We hear that some of you are unruly, not keeping busy, but acting like busy-bodies. We enjoin all such, and we urge the strongly in the Lord Jesus Christ, to earn the food they eat by working quietly. You must never grow weary of doing what’s right, brothers.” 2 Thessalonians, 3, 10-13)
Sloth buries the talent God gives.
The Victor's Place 
Where on Earth did the idea come from that sloths are associated with sin?
On 11/5, we saw a PBS program “Nature: A Sloth Named Velcro”
(see http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/nov/04/nature-sloth-named-velcro/)
the story of journalist Ana Salcedo who found a tiny orphaned sloth, rehabilitated her, and reintroduced her into the wild. Ana wrote about a sloth center in Panama that rehabilitates orphaned sloths so that they can live in the wild again. Sloths move slowly, but are not lazy, and are not the image of what sin is. They are the way God made them; and they are extraordinary
creatures.
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I like your response to the comment.I too felt similarly. I realized that the servant had been afraid and maybe cowardly, but never thought that it was sloth rather than fear what prevented him from risking the use of the talent he had received.When you mention what Paul was seeing in his ow time, it makes sense.Even today I feel so many people have received the word of God but they don’t share it with others because of fear, shame or maybe even laziness; assuming that it is the ‘job’ of the priests and religious to spread the Gospel, but not one’s own responsibility.Thanks for the insight Rita
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul” (Mark 8:36)
From: Victor’s Place To: re_duenas@yahoo.com Sent: Monday, November 17, 2014 4:08 PM Subject: [New post] Sloth: the Burial of a Talent #yiv5204386972 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv5204386972 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv5204386972 a.yiv5204386972primaryactionlink:link, #yiv5204386972 a.yiv5204386972primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv5204386972 a.yiv5204386972primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv5204386972 a.yiv5204386972primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv5204386972 WordPress.com | vhoagland posted: “Last Sunday at Mass we read the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25,14-30 and this week we’ll read it again on Wednesday as it’s found with some differences in Luke’s Gospel. It’s also found in a much shorter version in Mark 13, 34. I like this comment” | |
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Thanks for your comment, Rita. That’s the way it seems to me anyway.
FV
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Gloria, I have to look that up.
FV
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Thank you Fr Victor. You have clarified my confusion on the parable of the talents.
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Thanks Berta. Enjoy the sun and give my best to Orlando. FV
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thank you for your insights in Gospel.
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Glad you reposted this, Fr Victor! I managed to find it because you did that, so it came up when I asked WordPress Reader for recommendations.
I like how you bring out the sin of slothfulness, which is one of the less-discussed mortal sins. It really does impede the coming of the kingdom of God.
For a slightly different (and more facetious) approach to this passage, you can read a pair of blog entries I wrote some time ago: https://dtrichards.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/parable-of-the-talents-part-1/
In Christ,
DT Richards
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