"_After a long time the Lord of those servants came and reckoned with
them._" Each servant must come up before Him to give an account and to
be judged according to his works.
"_Lord, Thou didst deliver to me five talents, behold I have gained
other five over and above._"
"_Lord, Thou deliveredst two talents to me, behold I have gained other
two._" The Lord gives exactly the same answer, the same reward to each,
showing clearly that what counts in the reckoning is not the _number_ of
good works but the spirit and intention and motive with which they are
done, be they many or few.
"_Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will place thee over many things._" The reward is
not given to the most capable, nor to those who have the most or the
greatest talents, but to those who have been _faithful_ over the few
things entrusted to them. They have traded with their talents for God's
glory and for the salvation of their own souls. They have realized that
each thing entrusted to them was a "good," whether it was sickness or
health, poverty or riches, prosperity or adversity, and they have said
about each: This belongs to the Master, how can I best use it for Him?
Now they find that the merit of each action done, each suffering borne
for Him, has been carefully stored up.
"_Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord._" It is His joy, His interest,
His glory that the faithful servant has studied on earth, now he shall
share them for ever.
"_He that had received the one talent came and said: Lord, I know that
Thou art a hard man_" expecting the impossible, "_and being afraid I
went and hid Thy talent in the earth; behold here Thou hast that which
is Thine._" He could have traded and made _cent per cent_ as the others
had done and earned the "_Euge_" ("Well done!") He not only did not do
this, but he put all the blame on his Master Who with such care had
given him just the talent that was suited to his ability. He was
_afraid_, he said, afraid of what? Of his Master because He was hard and
unjust? No, this was only an excuse, he knew his Master and he knew it
was not true. What he was afraid of was hard work, effort, ceaseless
watching against temptation. It was far less irksome to bury the talent
and live a life of ease, letting things just take their course, and
hoping all would come out right in the end; but at the end things were
not right, for he had nothing to give to his Master, the one talent
_was_ the Master's, he knew that quite well: "Behold here Thou hast that
which is Thine."
"_Wicked and slothful servant_"--wicked, because he had robbed God of
His rights; slothful, because he would not raise a finger to serve his
Master.
"_Take ye away therefore the talent from him and give it him that hath
ten._" It is a solemn thought that a grace refused by one may be handed
on to another who is more faithful.
"_To everyone that hath shall be given_" is a principle of the Kingdom.
He ever giveth "grace for grace" (St. John I. 16). For every grace used
He gives "more grace"--"he shall abound."
"_From him that hath not, that also which he seemeth to have shall be
taken away._" There is such a thing as a last grace, a last opportunity.
God has nowhere pledged Himself to give the grace of repentance; grace
is ever a free gift and He is not unjust if He withholds it. I can never
say: I will sin and repent after! To sin is in my power, but to repent
is not. Our Lord speaks of sinners filling up the measure of their
iniquity (St. Matt. XXIII. 32). Had Herod reached the limit, filled up
the measure? Is that why Our Lord refused to speak to him? We do not
know, but we do know that it is possible for a sinner to sin to such an
extent--not necessarily by gross sin, but by steadily refusing God's
grace and the opportunities offered to him--that what he has, that is,
his opportunities, will be taken from him.
"_The unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness._" He
ever shunned the light and now it will _never_ be his. He was
_unprofitable_, that was his sin, he did nothing for his Master. All
sins, however terrible, will be forgiven if the sinner turns to God and
repents, because his repentance shows that he is "trading," though he
may often fail in his business; but the unprofitable servant carries on
no trade with God at all, he leaves Him out altogether. There is nothing
for God to do but to leave him out in the "exterior darkness" which he
has deliberately chosen.
_Colloquy_ with the Master, Who though He is a "long time" coming, is
never far from those who are trading for Him.
_Resolution._ Never to leave the Master out of anything I do.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Well done good and faithful servant!"