21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Blessed Virgin Mary
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/White)
Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21
Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
1st Reading: 1 Cor 1:26-31
Brothers and sisters, look and see whom God has called. Few among you can be said to be cultured or wealthy, and few belong to noble families. Yet God has chosen what the world considers foolish, to shame the wise; he has chosen what the world considers weak, to shame the strong.
God has chosen common and unimportant people, making use of what is nothing, to nullify the things that are, so that, no mortal may boast before God.
But, by God’s grace, you are in Christ Jesus, who has become our wisdom from God, and who makes us just and holy and free. Scripture says: Let the one who boasts boast of the Lord.
Gospel: Mt 25:14-30*
Imagine someone who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each, according to his ability; and he went away. (…)
After a long time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. The one who had received five talents came with another five talents (…) The master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.’
Then the one who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with two talents; with them I have gained two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done (…)
Finally, the one who had received one talent came and said (…) I was afraid, so I hid your money in the ground. Here, take what is yours!’ But his master replied, ‘Wicked and worthless servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered. You should have deposited my money in the bank, and given it back to me with interest on my return.
Therefore, take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who are unproductive, even what they have will be taken from them. As for that useless servant, throw him out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Reflections
The parable of the talents is many times wrongly interpreted in the gospel. The parable does not justify a gospel of economic prosperity and accumulation of wealth and properties. Instead, it challenges believers not to emulate the Master. He is a man who reaps where he does not sow and gathers where he has not scattered seed. He aggressively seeks to increase his profit and wealth by all means. He reprimands the servant for failing to invest the money with the bankers so that he might have gained interest — a practice forbidden in scripture (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35-38). The first two slaves do business with the master's talents and double his money. The third slave admits that he was afraid to lose the master's money. To protect himself, he buried the talent in the ground.
The parable is located in Jesus' eschatological discourse (24:1-25:46) where he instructs his disciples to endure through difficult times and to live in anticipation of the Lord's return. Like all the parables in this section, it exemplifies the certainty of the Lord's coming and how the disciples are to live in the meantime. The parable is a critique to a way of life centered on profit and accumulation of wealth. This is not the way of the disciples since Jesus, the real Master, is centered on the coming of the Reign of God. All who would follow Jesus are called to share one’s life and service to others. Those who are found faithful may hear their Master say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Daily Reflection 2018
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
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