THE parables of the Ten Virgins and of the Talents are so closely connected both in the order of S. Matthew’s narrative and in their own inner meaning that we must pass at once from the former to the latter. In the last chapter the parable of the Ten Virgins taught us the necessity of keeping the inward spiritual life true and fresh. It was a call to spiritual renewal. Now, we are to learn from the parable of the Talents that a real spiritual life must manifest