Why is it so terrible for the servant to hide his master’s money in a hole in the ground? Isn’t he simply being cautious? But perhaps Jesus calls us to something more than caution. The servant acts as he does out of fear of his master: “I had heard you were a hard man…” The master has put his trust in his servants, placing his wealth in their hands. If the servants respond by trusting their master, they can be creative, take risks, and make the wealth grow. If they are paralysed by fear, they will achieve nothing.

God has given us many gifts and talents. They are given to us to be used for the benefit of others, and to bear fruit, not to be hidden away. Pope Francis says: “Any environment, even the most distant and impractical, can become a place where talents can bear fruit. There are no situations or places that are closed to the Christian presence and witness.” This parable calls us to open our hearts, put our trust in God, and dare to be creative with the wealth that God gives us.