What Will You Do With What You’ve Been Given? – Holy Tuesday – The Parable of the Talents

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
May the blessing of the Father who calls us, and His Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ who saves us, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies and transforms us, be with us all. Amen.

Main Focus: Personal Responsibility and Stewardship

Key Verse: “To each according to his own ability.” (Matthew 25:15)

 Beloved in Christ,

Tonight, we meditate on one of the most powerful parables of accountability and divine trust—the Parable of the Talents. But before we start with the Parable, let me tell you a story from ancient China.

A master bell-maker once crafted a bronze bell so beautiful and so perfect that he believed it could call the entire village to prayer and peace.
Its tones were pure.
Its sound was strong.
But he became afraid.
He feared someone would misuse it.
He feared others wouldn’t value it.
He feared it would be lost or broken.
So instead of offering it to the temple, he buried it in a cave to keep it safe.
Years passed. The bell never rang.
No one ever heard its voice.
By the time it was rediscovered, it had rusted. Its sound had dulled.
The bell was no longer what it was created to be.

What Is Buried in Our Hearts?

This story isn’t just about a bell. It’s about every gift, every opportunity, and every ounce of grace we have been given—and buried.

Our heavenly master is preparing for a journey and entrusts his servants with portions of his wealth. But what’s remarkable is that he gave them different amounts—he gave to each “according to his own ability.”

  • Not equally.
  • But intentionally.
  • Lovingly.
  • Wisely.
To one, He gave five talents.
To another, two.
To another, one
each according to his own ability.

What Is the Talent God Gave You?

The talents Christ spoke of are not just coins or skills. They are everything God has entrusted to you—everything He’s placed in your hands for His glory.

Have you asked yourself: What is my talent? You may not think you have one—but you do.

Here are just a few…

  • Your time – Even the minutes you spend in silence or service are seeds planted in eternity.
  • Your mind – The thoughts you shape, the wisdom you share, the words you choose.
  • Your health – Whether strength or sickness, how you endure becomes a witness.
  • Your relationships – Every person God has placed in your life is a calling to love.
  • Your voice – Whether used to pray, teach, sing, or encourage—your words carry light.
  • Your gifts – Hospitality, compassion, listening, craftsmanship, leadership, serving. No gift is too small for God to use.
  • Your influence – You are always reaching someone: your child, your spouse, your friend, even a stranger.

God gives no one nothing.

Every one of us has received something.

Some were given five talents.

Some two.

Some only one.

But no one is empty-handed.

Even one talent, when offered in humility, can move heaven—just like Pope Kyrillos VI, who offered nothing but prayer… and shook generations.

What has God placed in your hands?

Are you investing it—or hiding it?

Not Equal, but Intentional

Sometimes we compare:

  • “Why don’t I have what they have?”
  • “Why does she sing, and I can’t?”
  • “Why does he lead, and I don’t?”

But the Master gave to each according to his ability.

That means:

  • What I’ve been given is not random—it’s custom-fit by the wisdom of God.

  • What matters is not how much I have, but how I use what I’ve been given.

But even one talent, when offered in love and prayer, can change the world.

Look at Pope Kyrillos VI—a man of deep simplicity and burning devotion.

  • He did not preach many sermons.
  • He did not write theological volumes.
  • He was not known for academic brilliance or elaborate speeches.

But he had one talent.

Prayer.

And he gave it to the Lord with all his heart.

  • He turned his cell into a sanctuary.
  • His silence became incense.
  • His tears became oil in the lamp of the Church.

In an age when the Church suffered in darkness—his life became a flame.

He did not bury his talent.

He prayed.

And through his prayers, miracles flowed, monasteries were revived, bishops were appointed with wisdom, and an entire generation learned how to kneel again.

O soul—do not wait until you have five talents.

Start with the one the Lord gave you.

And offer it—pure, faithful, without fear.

Even the servant who received two talents was praised the same as the one with five.

God rejoices not in size, but in faithfulness.

Are You Using It—or Burying It?

The one who buried his talent wasn’t punished for stealing, lying, or failing.

He was judged for one thing: doing nothing.

  • He had the time.
  • He had the opportunity.
  • But he had no courage. No gratitude. No faith.

How many of us have talents buried under fear, insecurity, or laziness today?

  • That book God inspired you to read—buried.

  • That person who needs your encouragement—ignored.

  • That prayer life you once had—abandoned.

  • That ministry you were once excited about—postponed again and again.

Beloved, God doesn’t ask for perfection—but for faithfulness.

St. John Chrysostom writes:

“They who bring a return unto Him confess frankly, both what is their own, and what their Master’s. And the one says, Lord, ‘You gave me five talents’; and the other says, ‘two,’ indicating that from Him they received the source of their gain, and they are very thankful, and reckon all to Him.” (Commentary on Matthew, ANF 10)

St. John emphasizes that our talents are not our own—we are stewards, not owners. Even the fruits of our labor belong to God.

Remember, He doesn’t need you to produce miracles—just to invest what He gave you.

Start Small. Offer What You Have.

Let me say this again:

Start small. Offer what you have.

  • Five minutes in sincere prayer are a powerful investment.

  • One call/text message to lift someone’s spirit is a holy seed.

  • Your voice in the Church, your hands in helping the weak, your mind in teaching the young—these are your talents.

The servant who gained five talents didn’t do it overnight.

But he started.

He took what was given and did something with it.

And when the Master returned, he said:

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things—I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)

Heaven Keeps Account Differently

God is not counting how many likes your talents get—He is watching how many hearts you offered them with.

He’s not asking how loud your work was—He’s asking if it was offered in love.

He’s not impressed with talent—but He is moved by faithfulness.

The Tragedy of Untouched Grace

When we bury our talent, we don’t just lose time—we dishonor trust.

Let me share another story—this one from Japanese tradition.
A farmer was given a rare seed by a wise traveler.
“This seed,” the traveler said, “will grow into a tree that bears golden fruit. But you must plant it within one season—or it will die.”
The farmer looked at the seed. It was small. Unimpressive.
He feared wasting his effort.
He feared ridicule.
So he put the seed in a jar… and waited. And waited.
Until he forgot.
Years later, he remembered the seed and planted it—but it was too late.
It never grew.
Yet just down the road, another farmer had planted his seed immediately—and that golden tree was now feeding generations.

St. Athanasius reminds us:

“He who gave was not a hard man… he who neglects grace and hides it without discernment, is properly cast out as a wicked and unthankful person.” Paschal Epistle 3, NPNF 2:8)

This quote challenges the servant’s excuse: “I knew you to be a hard man.” It reframes God as generous, and exposes our fear as falsehood.

The Lord gave you that gift to build His Kingdom, to bless His people, and to grow your soul.

What will He find when He returns?

Will He find a heart that says: “Lord, I didn’t have much, but I gave You everything I had”?

Or one that says: “Lord, I was afraid… so I did nothing”?

This We Can Call —Spiritual Laziness: Not Just Doing Nothing—But Wasting Something

The third servant in the Gospel did not destroy his talent—he just buried it.

He was not cast out for sin—but for refusing to serve.

“I was afraid, and went and hid your talent…” (Matthew 25:25)

And here, St. Athanasius offers us a harsh but holy truth:

“He who neglects grace and hides it… is properly cast out as a wicked and unthankful person.”

Tonight, Dig It Up

Maybe you’ve buried your voice.

Maybe you’ve buried your joy.

Maybe you’ve buried your repentance, fasting, discipline, or your prayer, or your leadership.

It’s time to dig it up.

“Do not neglect the gift that is in you…” (1 Timothy 4:14)

“Stir up the gift of God which is in you…” (2 Timothy 1:6)

St. Ambrose exhorts us:

“Let us not keep the Lord’s money buried and hidden in the flesh… but like good money changers weigh it out with labor of mind and body… This is the precious talent, by which you are redeemed. (Duties of the Clergy, NPNF 2:10)

This gives us a powerful image: treating God’s Word and His grace like precious spiritual coins—meant to be used, shared, and invested in the soul, because they lead us to eternal life.

Conclusion: The Math of Heaven

Beloved, as we conclude, let us look once more at the numbers in this parable—not with the eyes of the flesh, but with spiritual insight.

The five talents speak of abundance: Our senses, our Scriptures, our call to holiness, our witness, our wounds turned into glory.

The two talents speak of relationship: Of covenant, of community, of shared testimony, and the accountability of walking two by two.

The one talent speaks of sacred simplicity: Of the single lost sheep heaven rejoices over, the single spark of grace, the single heart turned back to God.

And together—5 + 2 + 1 = 8—the number of resurrection.

The Lord is not giving coins.

He is giving you grace, truth, and responsibility.

He is calling you not just to guard the gift, but to invest it—with joy, with trust, with urgency.

“I was afraid, and went and hid your talent…” (Matthew 25:25)

Don’t let this be your confession.

Let your confession be:

“Lord, You gave me, and I offered back.

You trusted me, and I acted in faith.

I am not perfect, but I am Yours.”

So ask yourself:

What number has God placed in your hands today? Five? Two? One?

What matters is not the amount—but what you’ll do with it.

May we all hear:

“Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Lord.” Amen.

Closing Reflection

Take a moment of silence and whisper this question to God:

“Lord, what is the one thing I have buried that You want me to bring out today?”

Don’t overthink it. Don’t justify it. Don’t fear it.

Just say: Here I am, Lord. Use what You gave me.

And by His grace, you will hear:

“Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

May the Lord bless us, transform our hearts and minds, that our homes may stand on the Rock, our hands serve in the harvest, and our hearts long for Heaven. Amen.