33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
As we continue our prayers for peace we also remember all our families and friends who have died in this month when we pray for all the holy souls. The first reading this Sunday is from the book of Proverbs. Much of Scripture seems to overlook the contribution of women whose skills and responsibilities in family, community, and the world have always been essential. Yet here in this reading from Proverbs, there is a great shout out to the women of their time as well as the women of today. Though this presentation of a dutiful housewife reflects the culture of the age before the beginning of the Christian era, its message is clear. As the reading also fits in well with the message of the gospel, reflecting as it does the talents, skills, commitment and wisdom of women in our world. Our reading from the Gospel for this weekend is about the servant and his one talent. The parable speaks first of the Master’s trust in his servants. While he goes away he leaves them with his money to use as they think best. While there were no strings attached, this was obviously a test to see if the Master’s workers would be industrious and reliable in their use of the money entrusted to them. The master rewards. those who are industrious and faithful and he punishes those who sit idly by and who do nothing with his money.
The essence of the parable seems to lie in the servants’ conception of responsibility. Each servant entrusted with the master’s money was faithful up to a certain point. The servant who buried the master’s money was irresponsible. One can bury seeds in the ground and expect them to become productive because they obey natural laws. Coins, however, do not obey natural laws. They obey economic laws and become productive in circulation. The master expected his servants to be productive in the use of his money. If we stop and substitute the money aspect of the parable with the word faith then we get to what the parable is really about and it tells us that faith is a real and wonderful gift from God that should be treasured. Faith is also given to us according to our ability to deal with it; each in proportion to his ability, as it says in the parable. But the most important aspect of the Parable is that the Master will eventually return and the big question is will we be ready for his return? In the second reading St. Paul assures us, ” the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.” This is a wake-up call to alert us to stop relying on false security, while missing the ways that Jesus comes into our lives. Sometimes we feel God’s blessing. Sometimes we feel he is away out there somewhere in the distance. There are even times God may feel like the enemy.
We enjoy times of intimacy with god as graced moments. But in all the moments of our lives we should try to realize that in times of distance and estrangement God offers us his life. The Gospel parable about the talents, and Saint Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians both tell us to be at peace with ourselves in heart and mind, for if we are doing the Lord’s work there is nothing to fear. Christ has entrusted us with the Kingdom of God. We are called to work productively with the Spirit so that the Kingdom, the Reign of God’s grace, may be seen and experienced through us, that others also may come to believe. As we come closer to the end of the liturgical year, and the beginning of our Advent preparation for Christmas let us focus on doing the Lords work as we look to see how we can meet the needs of those around us as the new church year begins.
Fullerton T 