Both St. Matthew and St. Luke report Jesus telling the parable of the talents. St. Luke has a “backstory” to the parable. The person bestowing the talents petitions the emperor to be named king. “His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.'” This reflects the actual historical circumstance of succession after Herod died. The parable teaches us the importance of looking at current events in the light of the gospel. The principle of Catholic Social Teaching is “See, Judge, Act.” See what is going on: issues of the environment, immigration crisis, economic disparity, etc. Judge what the gospel says about this. Act as you can to make a difference.
