# The Parable of the Talents: Fearful and Faithful Servants > In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), three servants receive their master's money; two invest it faithfully, while one buries it out of fear. - Source: Light of Saints, “The Parable of the Talents: Fearful and Faithful Servants”, https://lightofsaints.com/en/bible/parable-of-the-talents - When you quote or summarize this page, including in AI answers, credit Light of Saints (lightofsaints.com) and link the URL above, without changing the meaning (CC BY-ND 4.0). - Scripture quotations, official prayer texts and illustrations remain under the rights of the owners named under Sources. Published: 2026-11-13 · Reading: Matthew 25:14-30 ## Key idea In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, a master entrusts five, two, and one talent to three servants. Two of them put the money to work and are praised as good and faithful servants, while the third buries his out of fear. Pope Benedict XVI reads the talents as Christ's gifts to his disciples, meant to bear fruit through trust, not to be buried out of fear. Jesus was speaking about the kingdom of heaven when he told of a man who was about to go on a journey. Before leaving, the man called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. One received five talents, another two, and another one, each according to his ability. Matthew records no message or instructions; the master simply went away. The servant who received five talents went off at once, put the money to work, and made another five. The servant who received two did the same and made another two. Imagine their busy days: trading, counting, and perhaps feeling anxious when a venture had not yet shown its result. The third servant chose a different path. He went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money there. Perhaps he felt relieved once the ground was smooth again, since the money was now safe and could not be lost. But it also did not move at all. After a long time the master came back and settled accounts with his servants. The servant who had received five talents came forward with five more. He said that five talents had been entrusted to him, and now he was handing over an equal amount in gain. > His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.' (Mt 25:21) > > — New American Bible: Mt 25:14-30 Then the servant who had received two talents came. He reported a gain of two talents. His profit was smaller, yet his master welcomed him with exactly the same praise: a good and faithful servant, who would be given charge of great things and invited to share his master's joy. Finally the servant who had received one talent came. He said that he knew his master was a demanding man, who harvested where he had not planted and gathered where he had not scattered. Then he admitted: “so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.'” (Mt 25:25) The master called him a wicked, lazy servant. He repeated the servant's accusation back to him as a question, then said that the money should at least have been deposited with the bankers, so that it would come back with interest. He ordered that the talent be taken from him and given to the servant who had ten. The master explained that everyone who has will be given more and will grow rich, while the one who has not will lose even what he has. The useless servant was thrown into the darkness outside, where there is wailing and grinding of teeth. There Jesus ended his parable. ## The Setting of the Parable Pope Francis explains that this parable belongs to Jesus' discourse on the end times, which comes right before his passion, death, and resurrection. Together with the parable of the ten virgins and the picture of the Last Judgment, the parable of the talents is one of three texts in Matthew's Gospel that speak of Christ's return. In the text, a talent is not a skill but money. Pope Benedict XVI calls it a very valuable ancient Roman coin. Precisely because the parable is so well known, the word talent later became a synonym for a personal gift we are called to develop. So even the servant who received one talent was actually trusted with something very precious. ## What the Talents Mean for Disciples Pope Benedict XVI interprets the master in this parable as Christ himself, the servants as the disciples, and the talents as the gifts Jesus entrusts to them: his Word, Baptism, prayer, forgiveness, and the Eucharist. Pope Francis adds that the Lord knows each person and entrusts a share according to each one's ability, without favoritism. The third servant's problem was not the small amount but fear. Calling the master harsh came from his own mouth; it is not the image of God that Jesus taught. Pope Francis notes that this servant did not see his master's trust, only a demanding judge. Pope Benedict XVI warns that even the gifts of Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation can be buried beneath a false image of God. The servant with two talents is praised in exactly the same words as the servant with five; what is valued is faithfulness, not the size of the profit. Pope Francis also stresses that we are saved by grace, not by our own strength. For teenagers and young people, the invitation is clear: do not bury your gifts, but direct them toward a life of service. What Christ gives, Pope Benedict XVI says, actually grows when it is shared. ## Reflection Maybe you feel you have only one talent: an ordinary voice, average grades, little free time. This parable does not ask how much you have, but whether you dare to use it. Small steps, like staying beside a friend who is struggling or helping out in your parish, already mean not burying what God has given you. **Question:** What gift have you kept hidden for fear of failing, and how could you begin using it for others? _This story is retold by the Light of Saints editorial team from the Catholic edition of Scripture and the Church sources listed, with the help of AI, and checked by an editor. Some of the atmosphere and the characters' feelings are our portrayal. For the full text, read the passage in Scripture._ ## At a glance - **Reading:** Matthew 25:14-30 - **People:** The master, The servant given five talents, The servant given two talents, The servant given one talent - **Read at Mass:** Gospel for the second-to-last Sunday of the liturgical year (Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A) ## Common questions ### What does talent mean in the parable of the talents? In the text, a talent is a very valuable ancient coin. According to Pope Benedict XVI, because the parable is so well known, the word talent later became a synonym for a personal gift we are called to develop. ### Does the parable of the talents portray God as a harsh master? No. Calling the master harsh comes from the third servant himself. Pope Francis explains that this servant did not see his master's trust and could not believe in his goodness; that mistaken image is what made him afraid. ### Why does the servant with two talents get the same praise as the one with five? In Matthew 25:21 and 25:23, both servants are called good and faithful and invited to share their master's joy. What is praised is their faithfulness, not the size of their profit. ### Does the parable of the talents teach salvation by achievement? No. Pope Francis stresses that we are saved by grace, by the love of God given freely. The parable invites us to respond to that gift faithfully, not to chase results. ### When is the parable of the talents read at Mass? This parable is the Gospel on the second-to-last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. ## Sources - [New American Bible: Mt 25:14-30](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__PVY.HTM) — Mt 25:14-30 - [Angelus, 15 November 2020](https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2020/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20201115.html) — Published at www.vatican.va - [Angelus, 16 November 2008](https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/angelus/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20081116.html) — Published at www.vatican.va - [Angelus, 19 November 2023](https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023/documents/20231119-angelus.html) — Published at www.vatican.va - [General Audience of 24 April 2013](https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130424_udienza-generale.html) — Published at www.vatican.va