YOU’VE GOT TALENT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 33 Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, is, “You’ve Got Talent.”

As you know for the past few years there have been various programs on TV - that are all about, “You’ve Got Talent”.

Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, Australia’s Got Talent. Korea’s Got Talent. I couldn’t find out if any other country than these have their own version of this kind of a program - but I’m sure every country, city and county could have such a program. The world has talent.

And people sit there and discover Susan Boyle - and various other people - who have talents they didn't know about.

THE WORD “TALENT”

I like words - and I like to look up a word’s history - to see where it came from and when it started to be used. If they are English words I like to see what century is listed as its earliest use. That’s why I like the Oxford Dictionary - the two volume set - that comes in a dark blue hard cardboard box - with two box sleeves or sections. On the top it has a cardboard drawer - which has a neat magnifying glass - which is in the shape of a rear view mirror. The magnifying glass is helpful because these two volumes have very tiny print. [Someone said this morning, "Hey,  Dummy, it's on line.]

The English word “talent” comes directly from the Greek word “talanton”. And this gospel parable is how this word and its meaning have come down to us till today. Check it out: Matthew 25: 14-30.

And down through the years, thousands, dare I say “millions”,  of teachers and preachers, have recited this parable to kids and others. They have challenged others to use their talents well - and not to bury their talents in the ground - out of fear - like the third person in today’s gospel story.

THIS GOSPEL PARABLE

I did some research again yesterday on this parable. That’s the beauty of having the gospels on a 3 year cycle. One comes back to these texts over and over again. Education calls for recycling and repetition.

There is the added gift that there is another variation of this story in Luke 19 - where instead of three servants, there are ten servants who are given money to trade or work with while the owner goes on a journey. He expects them to work while he is gone and make more money. In Mark 13 there is a very short version of the parable. It’s only 5 verses. Mark doesn’t give a number of servants. It simply says each has his own task.

Then I noticed while doing a bit of research yesterday there is mention of another gospel. It’s a gospel that didn’t make its way into our Bible. It’s the so called, Gospel of the Nazarenes. It’s a gospel that is not referred till after 800. As of now, we don’t have a copy of such a gospel. So it could be another gospel or actually be the so called, “Gospel According to the Hebrews” with a different title. What we have are quotes and parts of it that are mentioned in other documents.

Who knows - a complete copy might be found somewhere, sometime, in the year 4011? As I mentioned in a homily two weeks ago, there is a copy of a work by Archimedes that is featured in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore till January 1st, 2012. The text had been washed off the animal skin it was written on. Then prayers were written where the original text was. Eureka. Hints of the earlier text could be spotted. The pages had a lot of wax on them - from 300 years of use in a monastery in Palestine. With lots of time, research and great equipment, experts have been able to get to the erased Greek text underneath the present text - the prayers.

This Gospel of the Nazarenes is not mentioned in Early Church literature. However, for further thought on today’s gospel,  this Gospel of the Nazarenes has this same basic story.  It also refers to three servants. But in this version, the third doesn’t bury his talents in the ground. Instead, he spends the money on prostitutes and lute players. This was before I-Tunes etc.

Some biblical scholars then say that what we’re missing is the earliest version of this parable - what Jesus actually said - and intended - or closer to it. It was either the message about being ready for the Second Coming - or being ready for a personal accounting on how we use our gifts and talents. Maybe someone will find a version of the Gospel of the Nazarenes or find another text somewhere or under something that is  closer to the original copy of the Parable of the Talents.

YOU'VE GOT TALENT

The Early Church certainly thought the end was near. When that didn’t happen, the church had to rearrange their thinking. So I sense this parable was used more and more as a challenge for each of us to use the talents we have each day for the greater good of our world.

I sense that this take had the most traction for preachers and teachers.

Next ….

So I'm preaching to use this text as a personal challenge for each of us to use the talents we've been given and to use them well.

Re-reading the story, I am called to be both the servant who has been given talents - more or less - and also to be the rich man in the gospel who asks for the accounting.

Question: What are my talents, skills, and gifts?

Question: What is my judgment on how well I have used  the gifts I have been given?

Challenge: Settle accounts with God who has given us the talents we have - in prayer - especially journal praying.

Ponder: All of us from time to time - have sat in the back seat of a car - or plane - or boat and done a lot of talking to ourselves - about life.

The scene from the movie, On The Waterfront, that most people remember takes place in a taxi cab. Terry Malloy (Marlo Brando) is sitting back there with his older brother, Charlie - who had gotten him to throw a fight and lose, says, “I could have been a contender, I could have been somebody, instead of a bum which is what I am.”

When you heard today’s gospel did it trigger a judgment moment for you? Did you ask yourself the Mayor Koch of New York City question. He was often quoted as asking, “How am I doing?”

How are you doing?  How's it going? Do you feel that you are somebody? Do you still feel you’re a contender? Do you still see yourself on stage - and it’s a contest - in which you use your talents - and everyone out there is looking at you and judging how you’re doing?

Do they boo or clap? Do you get a 2 or a 10?

Wow she’s got a nice family, a nice house, a nice job, a neat car, a good life. He's a good guy!

Or is the theater empty - and it’s just you on stage. Picture yourself as both judge and jury - critic and scorer.

Today's parable is from the 25th Chapter of Matthew. It has three parables about judgment. I assume for starters - because they are at the end of the gospel and are being used at the end of the Church year - all three have to do with the final judgment.

Saying that triggers a quote from Albert Camus that I remembered and went in search of. He said in The Fall  [1956], “I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day.”

That wasn’t his original idea. St. Ignatius and the Jesuits stress the same idea that each day we enter into a moment of judgment on our life - as well as taking the time to do just that on a regular basis - like at a Jesuit retreat.

So how am I doing now and how do I picture the hereafter?

CONCLUSION

How are you doing? Are you still contending? What are your talents? What’s the prize? What are you after?

The title of my homily is, “You’ve Got Talent!”

What are your talents? Talk to yourself. Talk to each other - about each other's talents.

Some homework….

Take today’s first reading about “What does a good wife look like?” I read in my research for today’s homily that someone said, “This is a male’s description of a good wife?” My thought at that was: “Ladies write up your description of a good husband.” Then I said, “Wait a minute. Husbands write up a description of a good husband.” Then I said, “Married folks sit down together - read today’s first reading - then each of you write up your description of a good wife, a good husband, a good couple, and if you’re blessed with kids, a good family. Then share.”

So I don’t think Jesus is talking about the economy or money here - and I wouldn’t dare to jump into that arena. Yet I hope some of you do - those who have that talent - because there are a lot of people out of work and the world’s economy needs fix. No more bubbles - or see them when they appear.

In the meanwhile, there is that other parable right after this parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the parable of the sheep and the goats and the big judgment scene at the end of the world - where we’re judged on whether we made sure the other person wasn’t hungry, thirsty, naked and unvisited - whether when sick or in prison. We’ll hear that parable next Sunday - the Last Sunday of this Church Year.

Or as Father Barry, Karl Malden, says in the movie, On The Waterfront, “You want to know what's wrong with our waterfront? It's the love of a lousy buck. It's making love of a buck - the cushy job - more important than the love of man!”

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LONGER VERSION - AND A BIT MORE COMPLICATED

YOU'VE GOT TALENT.

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 33 Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, is, “You’ve Got Talent.”

As you know for the past few years there have been various programs on TV - that are all about, “You’ve Got Talent”.

Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, Australia’s Got Talent. Korea’s Got Talent. I couldn’t find out if any other country than these have their own version of this kind of a program - but I’m sure every country, city and county could have such a program. The world has talent.

And people sit there and discover Susan Boyle - and various other people who had hidden talents.

THE WORD “TALENT”

I like words - and I like to look up a word’s history - to see where it came from and when it started to be used. If they are English words I like to see what century is listed as its earliest use. That’s why I like the Oxford Dictionary - the two volume set - that comes in a dark blue hard cardboard box - with two box sleeves or sections. On the top it has a cardboard drawer - which has a neat magnifying glass - which is in the shape of a rear view mirror. The magnifying glass is helpful because these two volumes have a lot of words - and the print is very tiny.

The English word “talent” comes directly from the Greek word “talanton”. And this gospel parable is how this word and its meaning has come down to us till today. Check it out:  Matthew 25: 14-30.

And down through the years, thousands, dare I say “millions” of teachers and preachers have recited this parable to kids and others. They have challenged others to use their talents well - and not to bury their talent in the ground - out of fear - like the third person in today’s gospel story.

THIS GOSPEL PARABLE

I did some research again yesterday on this parable. That’s the beauty of having the gospels on a 3 year cycle. One comes back to these texts over and over again.

Education calls for recycling and repetition.

There is the added gift that there is another variation of this story in Luke 19 - where instead of three servants, there are ten servants who are given money to trade or work with while the owner goes on the journey. He expects them to work while he is gone and make more money. In Mark 13 there is a very short version of the parable. It’s only 5 verses. It doesn’t give a number of servants. It simply says each has his own task.

Then I noticed while doing a bit of research yesterday there is mention of another gospel. It’s a gospel that didn’t make its way into our Bible. It’s the so called, Gospel of the Nazarenes. It’s a gospel that is not referred till after 800. As of now, we don’t have a copy of such a gospel. So it could be another gospel or actually be the so called, “Gospel According to the Hebrews”  with a different title. What we have are quotes and parts of it that are mentioned in other documents.

Who knows - a complete copy might be found somewhere, sometime, in the year 4011? As I mentioned in a homily two weeks ago, there is a copy of a Lost and Found copy of a work by Archimedes that is featured in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore till January 1st, 2012. The text had been washed off the animal skin it was written on - with prayers then written where the original text was. Eureka. Hints of the earlier text could be spotted. It  had a lot of wax on it - from 300 years use in a monastery in Palestine. With lots of research and great equipment experts have been able to get to the erased Greek text underneath the present text - the prayers.

This Gospel of the Nazarenes is not mentioned in Early Church literature. However,  for further thought on today’s gospel, someone later on in our church says this Gospel of the Nazarenes has this same story - and refers to three servants. But in this version,  the third doesn’t bury his talents in the ground. Instead, he spends the money on prostitutes and lute players. This was before I-Tunes etc.

To me the best scholar on the parables is still a man named Joachim Jeremias. [Cf.  The Parables of Jesus, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1963]

Looking at all four versions of the story, Joachim Jeremias says flat out that Luke’s interpretation of the original parable of Jesus is wrong. I don’t find biblical scholars being that blunt - most of the time. He says Luke compares the rich man  to Jesus. The rich man after handing out the money to the ten men goes off to a distant country to become king. They reject him so he comes back and then calls in the ten for the accounting. As in Matthew the lazy servant is corrected and ridiculed. Then Luke adds that those who rejected the rich man as king are to be brought in and executed in his presence. This is what Joachim Jeremias is bit too much as a way of describing Jesus. He thinks Luke is missing the original purpose of the parable - which was a warning about the Second Coming.

Various scholars say we don't have the original parable of Jesus - just different takes on it - and different points are made - depending on the source one is looking at.

When reading a sermon on today’s gospel from John Kavanaugh, he says that in the 1980’s the U.S. Catholic bishops put out a pastoral letter on the economy. Then the Lay Commission on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy wrote a letter that used this parable. In this sermon for this Sunday back in the 1990’s , John Kavanaugh says that they too were wrong in their use and interpretation this parable. They were saying that “this parable of the talents describes the ‘terrible punishments which lie in store for those who do not produce new wealth from the talents God has placed in their stewardship.’” [Cf. John Kavanaugh, The Word Embodied, Meditations on the Sunday Scriptures, Cycle A, p. 127]

John Kavanaugh continues by saying that even though the commission’s “letter is a thoughtful effort at interpreting capitalism with the demands of the gospel, I think the parable of the talents has as little to do with capitalism as it does with slavery or absolute control over the destiny of the servants who appear as characters in the story.”

Then Kavanaugh - and the scholars whom I like - say that this gospel is one more example that people in the early church were thinking that the end of the world was getting close - so be prepared for the end - the arrival back of the Master - Jesus the Lord.

YOU’VE GOT TALENT

When that didn’t happen, the church had to rearrange their thinking and I sense that this parable - was used more and more as a challenge for each of us to use the talents we have each day for the greater good of our world. And next; there will be a judgment at the end of our world - on how well we did - but we don’t know when that is going to happen.

I sense that those two takes have always had traction for preachers and teachers.

Next ….

So I like the use of this text as a personal challenge for each individual to use the talents we've been given and to use them well.

Reading the story I am called to be both the servant who has been given talents  - more or less - and also to be  the rich man in the gospel who asks for the accounting.

Question: How have we done with the gifts we have been given?

Settle accounts with the one who has given us talents we have.

All of us from time to time - have sat in the back seat of a car - or plane - or boat and do a lot of talking to ourselves - about life.

The scene from the movie, On The Waterfront, that most people remember takes place in a taxi cab. Terry Malloy (Marlo Brando) is sitting back there with his older brother, Charlie - who had gotten him to throw a fight and lose, says, “I could have been a contender, I could have been somebody, instead of a bum which is what I am.”

When you heard today’s gospel did it trigger a judgment moment for you? Did you ask yourself the Mayor Koch of New York City question. He was often quoted as asking, “How am I doing?”

Do you feel that you are somebody? Do you still feel you’re a contender? Do you still see yourself on stage - and it’s a contest - in which you use your talents - and everyone out there is looking at you and judging how you’re doing?

Do they boo or clap?

Wow he’s got a nice family, a nice house, a nice job, a neat car, a good life.

Or is the theater empty - and it’s just you as on stage - and just you as judge and jury - critic and scorer?

This 25th Chapter of Matthew has 3 parables about judgment and all three have to do with the final judgment.

Saying that triggers a quote from Albert Camus that I remembered and went in search of. He said in The Fall [1956], “I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day.”

That wasn’t his original idea. St. Ignatius and the Jesuits stress the same idea that each day we enter into a moment of judgment on our life - as well as taking the time to do just that on a regular basis - like at a Jesuit retreat.

CONCLUSION

How are you doing? Are you still contending? What are your talents? What’s the prize? What are you after?

The title of my homily is, “You’ve Got Talent!”

What are your talents? Talk to each other.

Some homework….

Take today’s first reading about “What does a good wife look like?” I read in my research for today’s homily that someone said, “This is a male’s description of a good wife?” My thought at that was: “Ladies write up your description of a good husband.” Then I said, “Wait a minute. Husbands write up a description of a good husband.” Then I said, “Married folks sit down together - read today’s first reading - then each of you write up your description of a good wife, a good husband, a good couple, and if you’re blessed with kids, a good family. Then share.”

So I don’t think Jesus is talking about the economy or money here - and I wouldn’t dare to jump into that arena. Yet I hope some of you do - those who have that talent - because there are a lot of people out of work and the world’s economy needs fix. No more bubbles - or see them when they appear.

In the meanwhile, there is that other parable right after this parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the parable of the sheep and the goats and the big judgment scene at the end of the world - where we’re judged on whether we made sure the other person wasn’t hungry, thirsty, naked and unvisited - whether when sick or in prison. We’ll hear that parable next Sunday - the Last Sunday of this Church Year.

Or as Father Barry, Karl Malden, says in the movie, On The Waterfront, “You want to know what's wrong with our waterfront? It's the love of a lousy buck. It's making love of a buck - the cushy job - more important than the love of man!”