Walking with Jesus: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, November 19, 2023

Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 25:14-30

As we come to the end of the Church year we continue our reflections on our lives, knowing that they will end. Will it happen? Yes. When? We don’t know. How? We don’t know. Will it happen unexpectedly or after a long wait? We don’t know. I feel my last days are a lot closer since I am in my 82nd year. So these readings have a lot of stop-and-listen parts that I am stopping, listening and reflecting on.

Paul arrives in Greece for the first time about 50 A.D. He visits Philippi and, soon afterward, travels to Thessalonica where he encounters persecution from Jews and Gentiles. He encourages the community and applauds the selfless love they shower on the missionaries. His teaching catches on with the people as evidenced by their caring behavior to all — which demonstrates their faith, love and hope. Paul believes that the second coming of Christ is imminent.

Matthew, the author of today’s gospel, believes that the parousia will be delayed. Even so he expresses the urgency of being watchful. In today’s parable of the talents he spells out what this involves: carrying out the Lord’s instructions to the best of one’s God-given ability. Paul gives the same encouragement in the example of a woman who uses her talents to live an industrious and virtuous life.

Today’s reading from Proverbs is a popular selection among brides for their weddings since it personifies wisdom as a woman. It closes with a description of the worthy wife who is industrious, strong, wise and, besides being good at real estate deals, concerned with the poor and needy. She "fears the Lord," which in the Eastern mind refers not to fear itself but more often to a sense of awe and humbling of oneself to a deity. Thus she is portrayed as a perfect spouse whose value is beyond measure. Her husband entrusts to her his sacred self: his heart. A reflection precious to each of us is the deep respect she has for God in her life. Where is God in my life, right now, today? Am I grateful? Living His love? Soooo ...?

Paul reminds the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord will come when it is least expected. They have cemented this into their way of life … they know they must be alert. Their lives are meant to be with God forever. So what are they to do? Not to live in fear, or in doing nothing … but encouraging one another, building up one another, being instruments of God … following the teaching and especially the examples of Jesus in their daily living. They must walk in the light, constantly alert and sober … aware of God and the need to love. How have I adopted this into my life? Or am I still saying I'll do this when I get a chance?

Matthew’s description of the talents has passed on many problems to the translator. In some ways it provides insight into the "kingdom of heaven." We ask: What exactly is a talent? Is it a set of skills or a very large sum of money? Does it mean we are supposed to be responsible with our money? Is the landowner supposed to represent Jesus? When we stop and look at this parable, we usually see ourselves as the servants in the story while the master is God. But the last servant accuses the master of being demanding and dishonest — and the master agrees. He takes back the talent and punishes the servant. Is this what God is like?

Some points: In the ancient Middle East, people believed that the world’s resources were limited and already distributed. For one person to gather more of anything meant that someone else would suffer a parallel loss. So a dilemma: Do we gather much more than we need? If we do, the excess will be our only reward. Is that the reward we want, or are we looking for heaven forever? We know that loving, caring, giving and sharing are rewarded with everlasting life. Those who refuse to love, don’t care, don’t share, are in it for themselves … they go to everlasting condemnation.

So I reflect on:

• A few weeks ago we heard Jesus say, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." In what way does today’s talent parable help me to repay to God what is God’s?
• How much is too much? It’s not easy to shed excess. What are some practical steps I can take to move my trust away from what I can gather, placing it instead in the God who gathers me?

Sacred Space 2023 states:

"Do I risk the many things and qualities I have been given for the growth of the Kingdom, or I am happy with what I have, making sure I do not lose it, happy enough with a respectable existence? What will the master tell me when He calls me to account?"