Last night we had our first snowed, about an inch. The fear of a big snow never materialized here in Milwaukee but the bitter cold did. Hope of temperatures above 30 are quickly disappeared and we are in winter, like it or not.

All of our Wisconsin Sports team, Packers, Bucks, UW football and basketball won this weekend so maybe we will have some interesting sports games to distract us from the cold of this winter.

Today’s Gospel the parable of the ‘talents’ Matthew 25: 14–30 is a favorite of capitalist and greedy. It seems to condone making money on money and usury. But this is a complete misinterpretation since early followers of the Way, Jesus, considered Usury, making money from money, immoral and a sin. Many preachers, like ours in Church today, understand the “talents” talked about in the Gospel the same as what we would call talent in English language. It actually was a large sum of money and the people of Jesus’ day probably understood the servant who did not use his money to make money as the hero. If you read the rest of Matthew 25, especially the part about the “Last Judgment” where those who cared for the least were caring for God, the story of the ‘talents’ takes on a new meaning.

Jimmy Carter is attributed to have said: “If you don’t want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don’t. The same sentiment of sharing abundance with those in need is expressed in faith Muslims, Hindu’s and others.

I heard a biological scientist once say that altruism is a natural generic value of creatures who survive throughout the ages. Besides humans he names, worms, bees and cockroaches are creatures that would sacrifice for the common good.

I believe this is why ‘usury’ was considered so harmful to early followers of Jesus, called later Christians. Being a man (or woman) for others, like St. Ignatius of Loyola urged the members of the Society of Jesus, Jesuits, in my opinion is natural. By being for others we really are defending ourselves.

Being for others is being for self. As followers of the Way of Jesus we give and live for the needy not the greedy.

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