WEDNESDAY, THIRTY THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Rv 4: 1-11 Ps 150: 1-6 Lk 19: 11-28
GIVE AND YOU WILL RECEIVE
Today, the Gospel proposes us the parable of the Talents: an amount of money that a noble man gives out to his servants, before leaving for a far country. First, let us pay attention to the occasion provoking Jesus’ parable. He was approaching Jerusalem, where He was to face his Passion and his subsequent resurrection. The disciples with him thought that God’s reign was about to appear. Under these circumstances Jesus proposes this parable. With it, Jesus teaches us that we have to put the gifts and qualities He has given each one of us, to work. They are not ours, for us to do whatever we want with them. He has given them to us in trust so that we can yield a return. Those who had yielded a profit from the talents were more or less praised and rewarded by their Lord. However, the lazy servant, who kept the money in safekeeping without getting any pay-off, was put to blame and punished.
Today we are asked to reflect on the special gifts that God has given to each one of us and how we are using them for the benefit of our brothers and sisters in need. What are our attitudes towards money, property, professional status, academic or other qualifications or other gifts with which we are endowed with? Where do we invest our gifts, our talents both inborn and acquired?
The message is clear: the more we invest, the more we will gain. We cannot stand still or just cling to what we have. The only way to gain is to let go, to give and to share. Good examples of this would be saints Francis of Assisi or Teresa of Kolkata. It is an attitude very foreign to many people’s way of thinking, who feel that life consists of amassing more and more, that security is in having. But the Gospel way is really the only way that makes sense. It is not collecting but sharing that generates wealth, the wealth that really matters is freedom, security and peace.
Response: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
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