We just heard in the Gospel the parable of the talents. In the story, the master went on a journey and entrusted his property to three of his slaves. To one he gave five talents, to another three talents and to the last slave, one talent.

Upon his return, he demanded an accounting of the talents he left to his three slaves. The one who was given five talents produced five talents more. The one who was given three talents produced three talents more. The one who was given only one talent hid the talent in the ground. The master was furious with the slave who did not do anything with the one talent he gave him. This slave could have invested the one talent so that it would have had an interest when the master returned. I want to reflect on the slave's attitude of not doing anything. This is about idleness. 

What does it mean to be idle? What is the meaning of idleness?

An idle worker is one who is doing nothing, inactive and even lazy. That is how Jesus called the slave who was not able to make an interest out of the one talent given him - "You wicked and lazy slave." We speak too of idle talk. To engage in idle talk is to engage in talk that is worthless, has no basis and without substance. St. Benedict calls it foolish chatter. Examples of idle talk would be gossip, rumor-mongering and telling lies. Idleness as a whole points to laziness, indolence, sluggishness, lukewarmness, tepidity, inactivity and sloth which happens to be one of the capital sins.

The sin of not doing anything is best captured in the prayer we say at the beginning of Holy Mass. We say, "I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words and in what I have failed to do..." The things we have failed to do are our sins of omission. Let us give examples.  We know there is so much poverty around us and we ourselves must be undergoing great poverty in daily life. Have we really done anything to get ourselves out of our misery or the rut we have plunged ourselves into? Or are we  doing nothing at all to alleviate our impoverished situation? How about doing nothing to address and correct the immoral and evil things we see? Not doing anything to change our lives after being repeatedly corrected. Not doing anything to deepen relationships within the family and community. Not doing anything to deepen our faith, to grow in the virtues and to deepen our relationship with God.

St. Benedict says, "Idleness is the enemy of the soul." Isn't it a fact that when we are idle thoughts, evil thoughts, invade our minds? In idleness, unbecoming thoughts pervade our minds and so we engage in unbecoming behavior. The reason why we can be very good in critiquing others is because we are doing nothing at all and in our inactivity we focus on the business of other people! Idleness is the enemy of the soul because it is about laziness towards the things of God. When we are caught up with worldly things, it is only logical that we are sluggish towards things of the Spirit. Jesus warned us all along, "You cannot serve both God and mammon. You cannot serve two masters. It's either you hate the one and love the other." A friend sent me this stinging message which I want to entitle "Isn't it strange?" Isn't it strange that a hundred peso bill seems so large when given to our Lord and yet seems so small when we go shopping? Isn't it strange that an hour seems so long when we go to worship in church and yet seems so short when we are having fun elsewhere? Isn't it strange that everyone wants the front row tickets while they choose the seats at the back in church? The point of it all is how sluggish we are when doing things of the spirit as compared to our eagerness and enthusiasm in seeking the pleasures of this world!

Last Monday, November the 7th, Malaybalay and Valencia, Bukidnon were struck by an earthquake with a 5.2 intensity. I and some of the brothers were in this new church at the time doing our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament since it was a hermit day. Some of the brothers were in the refectory or dining hall taking supper. I was teasing one of my brothers who was in the refectory at the time the earthquake struck telling him how it could be very embarrassing to die at that time while eating! It would have been better and glorious to die in church doing the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed!  That would have made us martyrs of the Eucharist. Unfortunately, that was not God's plan for us who survived the earthquake while in the church! Don't get me wrong. It doesn't really matter where we are when a calamity strikes just as long as we are spiritually prepared, prepared to meet our Judge. Just as long as we have made peace with one another and with God, then we are ready to go and leave this life. But the question is, "Are we prepared to go?" 

That is why we should make the most out of the little time we have left in this world. Not to be idle but to do now what will profit us for all eternity. We have to work for things that really matter in the end!