Vatican City, 19 November, 2023 / 7:15 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis during his weekly Angelus on Sunday spoke to the faithful gathered, reflecting on the parable of the talents from the Gospel of Matthew to highlight the two different ways of approaching God, with one based on fear and the other on trust.
This binary choice presents for the faithful a “crossroads,” the pope argued. But in the characterization of unwavering trust in the Lord, the pope noted that while there are risks and trepidation about the uncertainty of what may come, trust gives freedom to act.
“But much of how we invest them depends on our trust in the Lord, which frees our hearts, makes us active and creative in goodness. Trust frees, fear paralyzes. Fear blocks, trust unblocks our abilities. And it gladdens the heart of the Father, who rejoices at seeing his children who do not fear him but who love him,” the pope said.
“They trust and they risk: They count on the understanding of the master who chose them, on the goodness of the gift entrusted to them, on the skills they have received. Thus, they have the courage to act freely, creatively, generating new wealth.”
In the parable from Matthew’s Gospel, the master gives his servants different talents (which in the parable refers to monetary units), reflecting the individuality of each servant. The master upon his return from a journey notes that two of the servants increased the talents while the other, acting out of fear, merely preserved it by burying it.
