Giving More than You Get
Contrary to what you might think, the main point of today’s Gospel is not how to invest money. If you have IRAs, 401Ks, and other investments, given the state of the stock market in recent years, you could probably use the advice of the first two servants. But if the parable in today’s Gospel really were about investing money, given what passes for professional ethics these days, we probably would need another servant who steals the master’s coin and tries to convince him there is no money left.
Fortunately, I think our Lord probably had something else in mind. Stated plainly, Our Gospel today reminds us that we are called to give more than we get.
Our Lord gives each of us many talents. We can of course accept them, and give nothing back. We can even be grateful and try to remember what was given to us, but seek only to avoid losing it.
But Catholicism is a radical faith. We are called to emulate the ultimate gift of Love Jesus Christ who gave of himself even to death on a cross to bring about the forgiveness of the sins of others. And we called to emulate that love every day in our dealings with God and with others. Not just some day, every day.
While as humans we often seek emotional and physical love as our first objective, love is not perfected or complete unless it is grounded in sacrifice. There is a certain unavoidable truth about this if we just think about it.
Many of us are blessed with lots of material possessions. We can be very partial toward them. But have you ever noticed how much more joy we feel when we find that extra special gift for someone else be it a loved one or a friend? Maybe we send flowers or a gift to someone we love for no particular reason. The feeling of elation we feel when we do for others is often much greater than the joy at doing something for ourselves. In these situations, I think the Lord is trying to tell us something about what real joy is. St. Paul tells us in our first reading that this type of charity is the key to a tranquil, happy life.
A brother deacon of mine named Joe Curtis recently relayed to me a story about an experience he had in college. On the first day of class one semester, his professor challenged everyone to get to know someone in class they didn’t already know. As Joe turned around to look for someone, a gentle hand touched his shoulder. He turned to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at him. “My name is Rose,” the old lady said. I am 87 years old. Can I give you a hug? “Of course you can,” Joe replied, and she gave him a small, but giant squeeze.
Joe kidded her by asking why she was in college at such an innocent young age. Rose replied, “I’m here to find a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of children. Then I will retire and travel.” Then she got serious. “I always dreamed of having a college education, and now I am getting one.”
Joe and Rose became instant friends. They talked many times over the next several months. Joe said he always mesmerized by the Rose’s wisdom and experience. Rose became everyone’s foster grandmother in that college’s football team. Men who towered over her physically revered this tiny woman.
At the end of the season, Rose was asked to speak at the football banquet. She walked up to the podium with her 3 by 5 cards. But she was so nervous she dropped them all. “I am sorry I am so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is just killing me.” So let me just tell you what I know.”
“There are only a few secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor everyday. You have to have a dream. When you lose your dream, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it.
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. Growing older is mandatory but growing up is not. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity to change things. The elderly rarely have regrets for the things we did, but rather for the things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
Rose finished the college degree she had begun. One week after graduation, Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over 2,000 college students attended her funeral as a tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.
Brothers and sisters, no one can force us to love others or use our talents for the benefit of others. But at the same time, when we do so, we experience ultimate freedom. Self-giving is the essence of love, and it is the bond of charity that binds us as Christians to each other. When we give our talents, we prepare answer the call of Christian charity. We emulate the Trinity, the inner life of God himself. We live the Christian dream of life with an all-loving God in heaven.
So give more than you get. And if it gets tough, think of Rose. Ask the Lord for help. After all, He gave more than anyone. And look what we can get if we follow Him.