Homily (Reflection) for the Thirty-Third
Sunday of the Year (A) (19th November, 2017) on the Gospel
Prov
31:10-13.19-20.30-31;
Ps 127:1-5 (R. V.1);1Thess 5:1-6;
Matt 25:14-30 or 14-15.19-20.
A burglar broke
into a New York firm that manufactures burglar-proof glass by smashing a glass
door panel. “It never occurred to us,” said the firm’s president, “to put our
own burglar-proof glass in our own door.”[1]
Topic:
Put it into use.
Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven
in today’s gospel to a man “going on a journey, summoned his slaves and
entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to
another one, to each according to his ability” (Matt 25:14-15).
We all have been adequately blessed and also empowered to
“... understand the gifts bestowed on us by God” (1Cor 2:12). There is need for each of us to understand what he/she
has been given and for what purpose.
We read from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans:
We have gifts that differ according
to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in
ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver,
in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness (Rom 12:6-8).
God requires of each of us fruits in proportion to the
talent/s given. Hence, although the slave who received 5 talents earned 5 more
talents and the one who received 2 earned two more but both of them received
the same judgement: “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been
trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter
into the joy of your master” (Matt
25:21; cf. v. 23). In another passage, Jesus praised the widow who gave “...
two small copper coins, which are worth a penny” (Mk 12:42) and also said “... every one to whom much is given, of
him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand
the more” (Lk 12:48).
Saint Paul rightly stated that all we have received are for
the good of all, cf. 1Cor 12:7. We
are created for good works, cf. Eph 2:10.
And when the Master comes at the expiration of our span here on earth, each of
us will be required to “... give account of himself to God” (Rom 14:12, cf. 1Pt 4:5; Ps 96:13; Ps 98:9; 1Ch
16:33; Is 3:13; 2Tim 4:1).
On the other hand, when the one with one talent came forward
he said,
Master, I knew that you were a harsh
man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter
seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you
have what is yours (Matt 25:24-25).
What reason/s do you have for not investing your own God
given talents? Remember that the servants/slaves that will be blessed are only
those who did what they were charged to do, cf. Matt 24:46; Lk 12:43. Similarly, Proverbs reads “... servant who
deals wisely has the king's favour, but his wrath falls on one who acts
shamefully” (Prov 14:35). Jesus
warns,
But if that servant says to
himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants
and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that
servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does
not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful (Lk 12:45-46).
Nobody has any
reason for not yielding the desired fruits. So bear the desired fruits now, cf.
Lk 3:8. Again, God is not expecting the
same fruits from all because we are talented variedly.
Bible Reading: Matt 24:45-51; Mk 12:41-44; Lk
12:35-48; Rom 12:1-8; 1Cor 12:1-31.
Thought for today: Do you
know that you are adequately blessed? Again, what fruits do you bear?
Let
us pray: Lord, you
created us and adequately blessed us in order to bear the desired fruits. Give
us the grace to enable us bear the fruits that befit the gifts you have given
us –
Amen.
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[1]
Sagayanathan, A. (2009). Launching pad: Stories for Sunday Homilies
Year – A, B & C. Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, p. 126.
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