The Parable of the Talents

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25:14-30.

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediatelythe one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.'His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.' (Then) the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.'His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.' Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.' His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'”

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When you think about it, the master of the household made a gamble when he left his possessions to his servants. When many of us think that the Gospel is all about the talents, I see it as about a Master who put faith in his servants. What the servants did to the talents is but a reflection of how much value they placed on the faith that the Master showed them.

It would be easy to focus too much on our ability to increase investments and value. Afterall we are gifted creatures who gifted with creativity and imagination can turn into reality dreams and visions of the future. Along with it also is the opposite fear and insecurity that paralizes our spiritual and creative faculties. But God is not a businessman nor are we created to be investment firms.

God had often compared Himself as a Shelpherd or a Gardener. Of all the analogies to human work he chose that which represents most his nature - nurturing love. I believe this framework of love allows him to put faith in each of us knowing too well human frailty. So he lavishly grants his blessings and gifts to his sons and daughters, giving them the talents to develop, the time to grow, and the environment needed for them to bear fruit. 

I now believe the talents would not stand by themselves without the wager of faith that God has placed in man.

It is right then that man should respond in faith. Or better to bear fruit in faith after faith has been planted in him. A Faith that believes in a God who created us good and deserving to be loved. A Faith that values giftedness and personhood. A Faith that allows and invites others to bear fruit together. For the Lord has planted a vineyard and not just one plant, he pastures a flock and not just one sheep.

In the parable of talents, I see a Gardener and a Shepherd who makes a gamble in his servants. He leaves all that he has to them. Will they respond in faith?

Where it all began

I was talking to Ate Mindex in the CLAY Office last week during my short stint in Cebu. Our chat brought to topic the history of Cebu which for a long time had perplexed me. The History that was taught me in elementary studies touched little on the topic. However, I feel that there is more to the story of the place where I grew up than what I know now.

This is always the question of history and its importance. History is tied to culture and both are essential to a people. If Cebuanos were to remain ignorant of their rich history, even pre-dating Spanish colonization, then we would never fully understand ourselves as a people much less set a path for the future.

One of the questions that intrigue me is the place of Pasil and of San Nicolas in history. Was it really probable that Magellan landed in the shores of Suba and San Nicolas? Was the kingdom of Raja Humabon established in the area of San Nicolas? And much more importantly, did the first Filipino baptized Christians live there?

In the dawn of 500 years of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines, I find these questions become more important. An air of ignorance and lack of interest in our history as a people looms over the celebration. How can we ever claim to be "us" when we never fully understood who we "were"? The dilapidated and disharmonious sight of the area reflect this reality. As the celebration breaks the dawn, our people remain sleepy and stagnant to this glorious arrival of Christ in Cebu's shores.

I believe that we need to address the following points:

1. Educate and enlighten our people to our rich history. There are already good online sources for reading: Pigafetta's account of Magellan's last days in Cebu and with it the description of the early Cebuanos; an interesting article on the Kingdom of Sugbu or the Rajanate of Cebu; or Eskrima's quest to understand its history.
2. Incite people to take interest in Cebuano, Philippine, and Christian history. Get to know the etymology of the name of your hometown. Read and share folklore.
3. Reflect and discern on the identity and future of our people. What is our identity as Cebuanos, as Filipinos in this globalized world? How do we proceed from here in which we embrace progress but at the same time preserve our traditions, values, and culture?
4. Push our leaders, both government and Church, to prepare for the 500 years celebration. Will we let this chance to celebrate a historical landmark slip through our hands when it is in our very lifetime?

Is this really the face of our identity, the haunting of our past, and the vision of our future?

When We Think The Universe Owes Us

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 20:1-16a. 

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.'
So they went off. (And) he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner,
saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
(Or) am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

I naturally would feel for those who worked in the first hour in the landowner's vineyard. It is natural to ask for remuneration commensurate to our work. At first glance, the landowner seems unfair in giving everyone the same wage. Those who came first worked the most.

I've tasted for myself how to work the land. In 2008 our Summer Camp was held in Victorias where we had the chance to experience working in an hacienda, working among the famous sugar canes of Negros. It was damn hard. You have to sweat it out, break your back, and bend down to the earth. Such experience taught me the value of work and hard earned money. It taught me values of simplicity, hard work, and faith.

But the message of the Gospel is not about proportionate wages or justice. When we think the universe owes us for everything we have gone through we forget that it has been long existing before we came and it would go on its existence with or without us. The fact is our existence, no matter how difficult and tragic, is grace and gift.

We all learn that life is unfair. But that is the vision of unbelieving eyes. Life is a big stage and we are all actors in it. Some are given big roles, some smaller, still some supporting roles. But the characters that we live in all grow according to the story. Each has a story that is in itself beautiful and mysterious, unique and unrepeatable. God's generosity is His act of dedicating Himself to each one, like a gardener tending each seedling, His grace commensurate to the needs of each soul. Our sense of justice is simply different than God's.

To demand from God that we be rewarded more because we've lived life better than others is a selfish act. One has focused more on one's effort than the grace of God that has made possible such effort. Salvation is not a competition. It is blind to the fact that we are all beggars before God, all broken and wilted before the great Gardener, all unfinished tales before the great Playwright.

So the Kingdom of Heaven is all about God's will that we all be in it. He wants all His children in. He wants all His vines to bear fruit. He wants all characters to develop. And He works on each one, meticulously following them up in their ups and downs, trimming and fertilizing wherever it is needed. His grace envelopes all. His mercy pours out to those who need it most.

Working it out in life? Yes, it's difficult. But know that reward (more than wage) is not gained by the workers but freely given by the landowner.