If you have ever been part of any organization, you will know what the 80:20 rule is. For those of you who don’t know the concept, it refers to 80% of the work being done by 20% of the group’s members. I think this happens for two reasons. One is that the association’s leadership quickly recognizes which members get things accomplished and can be relied upon. They then direct projects to those members. But the second is more basic. The productive members feel the responsibility to serve the needs of the group. And they have the abilities to produce.
Now on the opposite side of this principle are those who do not accomplish much for the organization. Let’s call these members…oh, I don’t know…how about we call them HUSBANDS. And the organization is called the HOME. Who is the CEO of this organization? Well, that would be the wife. And here is a little known secret…OK, maybe not so little known. As husbands we have learned, or maybe we were subliminally taught as infants, that if we do not want to have many chores assigned to us by the CEO, the key is to not do well on those jobs. Because the likelihood is that the home leadership will eventually say, “I’ll just do it myself. It gets done faster that way”. Mission accomplished!! Fold those clothes by clumping each into a ball, clean the toilet by just wiping the top of the seat, and when you make the bed just pull the bedspread over the unmade sheets. Just a few suggestions from the master.
In today’s Gospel the master is going away on a trip and gives some responsibilities to his three servants. And he assigns the responsibilities based on his perception of abilities. He entrusts the three with a portion of his wealth. A hefty portion too. To one he gives 5 talents (a unit of money), to another 2 and the last gets 1. The first two double the money that they were put in charge of and as their reward they get put in positions of greater authority since they demonstrated trustworthiness and ability. The third? Well, he demonstrated an inability to fold shirts. Or at least an unwillingness to do so. Rather than use abilities that he had, he played it safe and hid the portion of money assigned to him. The master took the one talent he had and gave it to the other two.
And it is really not that hard to understand this concept. If you were running a business, and your employees showed a diversity in ability to carry out an assigned project, wouldn’t you give future projects to those who demonstrated aptitude? It is human nature and good business sense.
There is a scene from one of the early Spiderman movies where Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben is discussing with him about a fight he got into at school and tells him that just because he CAN beat someone up does not mean that he SHOULD. And he recites the classic line, “With great power comes great responsibility”. The more we CAN do, the more we are EXPECTED to do.
Not everyone has the same talents (in this case referring to the typical way this word is used today). God doesn’t ask us to do what we are not capable of. But HE does expect us to fully use what we have been given. I am so grateful that Laura Kazlas asked me to write for A Catholic Moment several years ago. She gave me an opportunity to take an ability that I have to write and use it to reflect on the scriptures. There are others who can preach the Word. And there are others who can pray unceasingly for others. And still others who enjoy connecting with people and serve in hospitality ministries or bringing the Eucharist to those who are home bound. And there are those who can only meditate on God’s word and be a model for others.
It does not matter what you do, or how often you do it. What matters is that you take whatever you CAN do and use it to glorify God and serve others. And remember, God knows when we are just pulling up the bedspread instead of making the bed. Now, where is that toilet brush?
