Readings
2 Maccabees 7:1,20-31
Luke 19:11-28
Reflection:
One of the most horrific and inspiring episodes in the Old Testament comes in the second century BCE when the Seleucids attempted to force the people of Israel to accept Greek customs and language and abandon their religious practices and dietary laws. Some people acquiesced, but others stood their ground and did not submit. The Jewish mother and her seven sons were among those who stood their ground, whatever the cost. While for most of Israel’s history there was no belief in an afterlife, this period of injustice and persecution saw a remarkable rise in the number of those who were prepared to give their lives for their faith in the belief that they would receive their lives back. They lived their life without fear and proclaimed their faith, hoping for an eternal reward.
In the parable of the talents, we see what happens when our lives are dominated by fear and the gifts we have been given by God are not used well. Those who have used the talents they received are rewarded, while the one who has simply put the talent aside for safekeeping and did not use it has what was given taken from them – a radical example of “Use it or lose it!” It is a radical call to use the opportunities we have been given for the good of others and the growth of the reign of God.
Fr. Chris Monaghan CP, lectures in the New Testament and is President of Yarra Theological Union. He is a member of the Passionist community of Holy Cross in Templestowe.