catholic bishop robert barron says that the talents in this parable are "a share in the mercy of god, a participation in the weightiness of the divine love", rather than personal abilities or wealth. he utilizes the interpretation of old testament professor robert schoenstene, who argues that a talent in ancient jewish times was very weighty thus five talents was extremely heavy. such heaviness would remind to the heaviest weight of all, the "kabod" (lit. "heaviness") of god in the temple of jerusalem, accordingly the most heavy of all is the mercy of god. similarly, a reflection in the carmelites' website defines the talents as "love, service, sharing", the "money of the master". in other words, erasmo leiva-merikakis says, "our greatest talent and treasure is our ability to love, and in this enterprise the champion is the greatest risk taker, which means the one most willing to invest "himself" where the odds appear most against him."