Paul’s words to the Thessalonians (Second Reading) remind us that we stand at the end of Ordinary time — the end of time itself, as it were — as he describes the coming of the last days “like labor pains upon a pregnant woman.”
Fidelity in service is the keynote of today’s Gospel reading as well, the parable of the talents. As if illustrating the saying ”To whom much is given, much is expected,” Jesus warns against becoming complacent. As co-workers in God’s vineyard, we are expected to produce a bountiful return.
The key to understanding the Gospel is the fact that the “talents” mentioned belong to the master, not to the servants. It is not the servant who is enriched, but the giver of the treasure. And the treasure in question is not wealth, but the “pearl of great price,” the king-dom of God. To make this parable focus on capital-ism is to misread its intent.